


Inheritance Duel

by RenkonNairu



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe - Crossover, Angst, Awkward situations, Card Professors, Childhood Trauma, Crossover, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Illustrated, James is Pegasus' son, No anime is complete without a group of useless gawkers gasping, Resentment, Rhyming, RocketShipping - Freeform, Spectator Sports, Spectators, Tags Contain Spoilers, Team Rocket's Motto, jokes from the abridges series, transference
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-04-05 11:52:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 40,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14043705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenkonNairu/pseuds/RenkonNairu
Summary: "Art" trade.Somebody commissioned me for crack.An Explanation of the Crack:James of Team Rocket is the son of Pegasus and his late wife Cecelia. Shortly after James was born Cecelia develops sepsis and died (this is the 'disease' that's mentioned in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime). Pegasus blames James for Cecelia's death and can't even stand to look at his son. He becomes obsessed with resurrecting Cecelia, goes to Egypt at lot, and develops Duel Monsters (just like in the anime). James grows up hating his father and resenting Duel Monsters because his father obviously cares about the stupid card game more than him. When he turns 10-years-old he runs away to become a pokemon Trainer and fightrealmonsters.Explanation of the Fic:Its been 15 years since James' been home. Pegasus died at the end of Duelist Kingdom (like in the manga) and James is summoned back to I2 for the reading of his will. The company will be inherited by one of Pegasus' sons (either James or one of the 4 he adopted in the manga), but to decide which one they must Duel for it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KyoyamaChan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyoyamaChan/gifts).



“LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!”

Jessie, James, and Meowth all shouted in perfect unison as they went careening through the air. Earth and sky spinning around them in a dizzying kaleidoscope of conflicting perspectives and shifting gravities. Until, finally, they plummeted downward. Their fall serendipitously cushioned by the blanches of leafy forest trees. There was the sound of snapping wood and shaking foliage, accompanied by many diverse and colorful expletives that were uniquely human. Before, finally, the trio came to rest suspended above the ground. Their bodies draped over the only tree branches that refused to break under their weight. 

All three sagged with mingled relief and fatigue. 

“I'm tired.” James muttered to no one in particular. 

“What I wouldn't give for a bath and nine hours of sleep in a soft bed!” Jessie echoed his sentiments but with her own elaborations. 

Both humans sighed. 

“Hey, Jimmy, why don't you use that absurd trust fund of yours to get us a decent rest at a nice place.” Meowth suggested. 

James sighed. 

While it was nice having regular access a near inexhaustible source of liquid capitol. He didn't actually like using his family's money because it was too easy to track. It was too easy for his father to find him. He'd already tried once, getting Croquet to deceive him into returning to the Manor in Kanto and force his marriage to Jessebelle. James cringed at the memory. He preferred his father not know where he was, and so he preferred not to use his father's money. 

Jessie slid down from her tree branch with a groan of discomfort. She cracked her back before sitting down on the grass and nursing scrapes and abrasions on her legs. 

Meowth hopped down next to her, landing gracefully on his feet, and began licking his own wounds. 

James was the last one to slip out of the tree. He crumpled limply to the ground in a graceless heap, before stretching out on the grass. Looking up at the gap in the canopy their landing had made, he contemplated pokemon and children's games. He looked over at his companions. Jessie and Meowth weren't like him. They never got to enjoy privileges and then make the choice to give them up. Meowth had always been a street pokemon, living off the castoffs of others, and Jessie... Jessie lost her mother at such a young age, she didn't have the option to choose anything else. She joined Team Rocket out of necessity, regardless of her own wants or dreams. Of the three of them, James was the only one who actually enjoyed traipsing thorough the woods, fighting monsters you could put in your pocket, and stealing children's pets. 

Maybe the other two did deserve a break every now and again. 

Just because they were members of Team Rocket didn't meant they couldn't have nice things. 

“I think I saw a hotel or something while we were blasting off.” He said. James reached into his back pocket to make sure his wallet with his Platinum Black Infinity credit card was still there. “We can each have our own room, order room-service, I'll even spring for massages.”

Both his companions instantly brightened. 

It was great having a rich friend!

…

It was the Kalos Region's Kaiba Hotel, and, as their unfortunate luck would have it, the hotel was hosting a Duel Monsters tournament.

James cringed. 

Jessie gave a snort of derision. Card games were for children who lacked the steel and backbone to train and battle real monsters. 

James tried his best to ignore the swarms of small children and grown adults carrying their card decks like mythic swords and wearing some atrociously unfashionable wrist accessory that looked like a batwing with card slots on it. That could not have been an Industrial Illusions original. There was no way in hell Maximilian Pegasus would produce something as unsightly as that. It had to be some kind of third party tech-developer that was licensed by I2. He walked up to the lobby desk to check them in. 

“Three rooms, please.” He said. “Your best ones.”

The receptionist gave him her best apologetic smile. “I'm sorry, but on account of the tournament, we're all booked up.”

Darn Duel Monsters! That stupid card game ruins everything!

“The only room we have left available is the bridal suit.” The receptionist informed him. “But I'm afraid its not...” she paused, taking in his disheveled appearance, his scrapped skin, dirtied clothes, twigs sticking out of his hair “...a very economical room.”

Behind him, James heard the distinct pop-werr sound of a pokeball opening itself without a Trainer's permission. “WOBBUFFET!”

With a dejected sigh, he slipped the Platinum Black Infinity credit card out of his wallet and slid it across the counter to her. 

The woman's eyes bugged out, wider than her head. This was a credit card with no limit! Only the grossly rich, and super elite could be approved for one of these! “I- I'll need to check your ID... please.”

He passed her his Trainer ID.

She gave him a tight smile. “Your real ID, please. Unfortunately, I can't accept a Trainer ID for a card of this type.”

This time, James was much more hesitant as he took out his Sanfran City issued drivers license. Not only did it identify him as not originally being from the Kalos, or Kanto, or any of the other monster regions pokemon were native to, but -unlike his Trainer ID- it showed his full name. James Crawford Pegasus. He cringed visibly as the receptionist scrutinized the ID, comparing the name to the one on his Platinum Black Infinity credit card. 

Finally, she seemed satisfied and handed the ID back to him. She typed in his room reservation and swiped his credit card. Programmed a pair of room keys and handed those to him too. “Alright, Mr. Pegasus, you're all good to go. Please enjoy your stay at the Kalos region Kaiba Hotel.” 

James cringed again. He hated it when people called him 'Pegasus'. It was his father's name. 

…

Jessie flopped down on the luxurious -large even for two people and a pokemon- bed. “Ah~h, this is so great! Why don't we do this more often, James?”

He pretended not to hear her as he peeled off the first layer of his Team Rocket uniform and shook it. A cascade of dirt and leaves sprinkled onto the suit's plush burgundy carpet. Both the maid service and the concierge laundry were going to hate them. James thought about explaining to her that he didn't like using his father's money, but -while there was no doubt in his mind that she would understand- he knew that she would view it from a conflicting point of view from his own. Jessie didn't come from money, she and her family never enjoyed the luxuries that he gave up when he left. She knew he didn't get along with his family and spurned their money because of it, but he never really allowed her to see just how deep that rift actually went. 

“Do you want the shower first.” He offered instead. 

“Mm.” Was her only reply, and a few moments after that Jessie began to snore. 

She must have fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. James couldn't help the small smile of affection that pulled at his lips. Whelp, guess he was showering first. 

Jessie was still asleep when James came back out. At some point, she had woken enough to strip off her own Team Rocket uniform and crawl under the covers. It was crumpled on the floor next to James'. Meowth was curled up on the pillow next to her, his paws twitching as he dreamt.

Toweling off his periwinkle blue hair, washed to such a shine it look almost silver, James caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, his forelocks, looking silver in the light and falling over one eye, hiding half his face. He frowned at his reflection, making himself look even more like his father. With a slight growl James used his fingers to comb his hair back, away from his face. The last thing he wanted was to be walking around a building full of Duel Monsters fanatics looking like a younger version of the Industrial Illusions owner and CEO. 

Slipping one of the hotel's complementary robes on, James gathered their dirty clothes into one of the laundry service bags. He paused for a moment, contemplating just putting the bags outside the door for the maid service to collect. But then he glanced back to Jessie asleep in the bed. If her bare shoulders sticking out from under the blanket were any indication, she wasn't wearing anything under there. She might appreciate fresh clean clothes when she woke up. Heaving what was probably his sixth sigh that day, James decided to brave the droves of Duel Monster enthusiasts to take the laundry down to the concierge himself. 

He made sure the sash of his robe was secure, threw the laundry bags over one shoulder, grabbed a room key, and headed out.

It was weird being around Duelists instead of Trainers. Usually, with pokemon Trainers, a person's eyes would look for a belt or vest first, to see how many pokeballs he had. Instead, whenever James passed someone in the hall, or in the elevator, their eyes first went to his wrist to see if he was wearing one of those absurd dueling devices, then to his pockets to see if he was carrying a deck. He never realized the stupid card game he loathed as a child was such a serious activity that Duelists developed instincts similar to Trainers. One would almost think these children -and grown adults- wagered the fate of their world on card games. 

In the lobby, he finally got to see what those bulky and uncomfortable wrist accessories were for. The two pieces that looked like batwings came together to form a conveniently portable surface for laying out your cards in play. That was actually rather clever. It might be a grotesquely inelegant little piece of technology, but even James had to admit that a collapsable and easily portable surface for playing on was a neat idea. Almost as cool as pokeballs -almost. 

Then one of the Duelist played their first card and, to James' great surprise, a Feral Imp materialized right there in front of the player, almost as if it were a real monster. James blinked at the pair as the first Duelist laid another card face down, and a comically large trading card likewise materialized in front of the player -face down. Some kind projection from the wrist device? Pokemon Trainers liked to joke that Duel Monsters was for people who couldn't train pokemon. It looked like whoever developed this new dueling tech was trying to make the card game more like pokemon battle -at least as far as making the monsters seem real. Curious, he set the laundry bags down and crossed his arms to watch the game. 

The second Duelist had his back to James and the Trainer could see all the cards in his hand. He watched as the second player ran his fingers over the five cards, all fanned out so their names could be easily read. The Duelist's hand settled on one card and James' eyes narrowed in disapproval, his hair falling back over his face, covering one eye, making his glare seem all the more intense. 

“Don't use that card.” He heard himself say. Both Duelists turned to look at him. “Play your Des Kangaroo and end your turn.”

“Hey! You can't help him! Accepting outside help in a duel is cheating!” The first Duelist snapped at him. 

James only shrugged. There was no stigma against cheating among the members of Team Rocket. Goodness knew he and Jessie cheated on countless occasions, and Butch and Cassidy never passed up an opportunity to cheat them whenever their paths crossed. In fact, he was pretty sure Madam Boss and Giovanni never would have even been able to form Team Rocket without some creative interpretation of pokemon rules. Cheating in matches was not something James worried about. What did bother him was how easily the stupid card game strategy came back to him. Even after all these years. 

Forcing a casual shrug, the Trainer picked his laundry bags back up and finished his journey across the lobby to the concierge. As he was walking away, he heard the second Duelist announce, “I summon Des Kangaroo, and end my turn!” and he smirked. That card's affect was that when it was attacked, if the attacking monster's attack points were lower than its defense points, the attacking monster is instantly destroyed -and the Feral Imp's attack was, indeed, lower than its defense. Since it was the only card Duelist number two had on the field, the first Duelist would have no choice but to attack it. 

He made his way back up to the room. Tomorrow they would leave, back on their mission to capture that Twerp's pikachu, and James would never have to look at another Duel Monsters card again. 

…

Jessie awoke to find herself wrapped around James. She didn't remember him coming to bed, so she was probably already asleep when he did. He lay with his back to her, curled in on himself like he did sometimes when he had bad dreams. She was curved around him like a big spoon, one arm thrown over his shoulder. 

Propping herself up on her other arm, Jessie brushed some periwinkle hair out of his face and saw that his brows were indeed knit together from an anxious dream. She hesitated for a second, not wanting the action to wake him up, then bent down to place a chase but comforting kiss on his forehead. She also had bad dreams about her past. She, better than most, understood what it was like to be confronted with your own personal tragedy repeatedly by your own subconscious. Jessie didn't know if on some instinctual level James recognized the action as her or not, but after the kiss his expression softened and he began to snore, getting a proper, restful sleep. 

She slipped out of bed and tip-toed to the shower. 

It was so rare that they got to sleep in a real bed, or shower in a real shower. James was loaded and could afford to put them up in a swanky place like this every night. But he actually liked the rough and tumble life of a pokemon Trainer and Agent of Team Rocket. Sleeping outside, trudging through the woods, grasslands, deserts, and all other forms of terrain pokemon commonly lived in. For a guy who grew up pampered with a cushy life style, he liked things decidedly not pampered and cushy. 

Jessie was the exact opposite. She never wanted to be a pokemon Trainer and she especially never wanted to join Team Rocket. She always had other dreams, other aspirations. She wanted to be a actress. She wanted to be a pokemon nurse. She wanted to get married to a decent guy and have a happy life. None of that involved camping out in the dirt, stalking and stealing from ten-year-old children, and being blasted through the air on a semi-regular basis. But, Jessie's mother disappeared when she was young, leaving her with no money, no one else to take care of her, and no means of taking care of herself. Jessie had no other choice but to join Team Rocket. It wasn't decision of personal preference like with James. It was a decision of necessity -and Jessie always resented it. 

She stepped out of the shower, her normally gravity defying hair made heavy by the spray. It hung around her face and clung to her shoulders. She squeezed the water out of it and fluffed it out as best she could, returning some of its sleek bounce. Wrapping a towel around herself, she stepped out of the bathroom and looked around for their Team Rocket uniforms. Sleeping in the nude while sharing a bed wasn't really a big deal for them, goodness knew they had bathed together often enough that the sight of a teammate's naked body was nothing to get excited over. But that didn't mean there was no modesty between them at all, and aside from hot-springs, baths, and the occasional naked nap, they didn't really spend that much time together naked. 

But their uniforms were nowhere to be found. 

Jessie bit her thumb. She was beginning to debate waking James and asking him if he knew where they'd thrown their clothes last night, when there was a knock at the door. 

Making sure her towel was securely wrapped, Jessie padded across the room to answer the door. It was a rather large room, the honeymoon suit, apparently, and whoever was outside had to knock a second time before Jessie could actually get there.

“Concierge laundry service.” Came the over rehearsed voice of a person in the service industry whom was over their job and dead inside. 

Jessie opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to see a member of the maid staff accompanied by a Mister Mime wearing the hotel uniform. The Mister Mime held out both hers and James' uniforms, freshly washed, ironed, and starched. She took the cloths from the pokemon. “Thank you.”

And shut the door in their faces. 

Separating her own uniform and underwear from James', Jessie slipped off her towel and slipped on her panties. She was in the process of hooking on her bra when there was another knock on the door. Thinking it was the maid staff again who just forgot something, Jessie wrapped the towel back around herself and wrenched the door back open. “Wha'd'ya want?”

But it wasn't a member of the hotel staff and their companion pokemon that stood outside.

This time it was a man. Older, hair a steely gray, combed with a side part. He was wearing a black business suit and sunglasses over his eyes. Who wore sunglasses inside? Still, he did seem somewhat familiar. Jessie was sure she'd recognize him if he weren't wearing the shades. 

His chin dipped slightly as he looked her up and down, and Jessie felt a self-conscious flush rise in her cheeks. It was painfully clear that she wasn't wearing much under her towel. He tilted his head, peering behind her into the room, and Jessie likewise remembered that this was -technically- the honeymoon suit. Though James was still under the blankets, it was equally apparent that he wasn't wearing anything under there either. 

“Jessebelle?” He ventured, ever-so-slightly hopeful. 

“Jessie.” She corrected. 

“Ah.” His posture remained stiff, his back straight. He didn't fidget. But Jessie got the distinct impression that the man was uncomfortable for some reason. “Would you mind waking him up? We need to talk.”

Her eyes narrowed. This time it was Jessie's turn to look him up and down. He wasn't a member of Team Rocket. Not only was he not wearing a uniform, but he didn't even have the R insignia visible anywhere on him. Not an R tie, not a lapel pin, not a ring, not even a belt buckle. So, not sent by Giovanni then. But, clearly, sent by someone with enough wealth to afford him such an expensive suit, and enough power to get him here in a timely manner when even Jessie and James didn't even know they were going to be staying here until the checked in last night. She looked back at her teammate. 

Rich and powerful, not associated with Team Rocket, and looking for James. 

Then it clicked in her mind why the old guy looked so familiar. They had met before. “You're Croquet!” She announced. “You're James' father.”

“Oh. You remember that farce?” He commented, seeming distracted. “Yes. I am Croquet. But I'm not actually Master James' father. I do, however, need to speak to Master James about his father.”

Jessie looked back at her teammate a second time. James hated his family. He never really went too far into specifics, but from the debacles they'd gone through with the fiancee they'd arranged for him, Jessie got the gist that they were stifling and over-controlling. From the new information she'd just learned that the man she'd previously met playing the part of James' father wasn't actually his father, she was able to put together that the family was also manipulative and deceitful. Not unlike Giovanni and his mother Madam Boss. After all, the only reason Jessie's mother left on that fatal mission was because Madam Boss promised to take care of her daughter. But when Miyamoto disappeared, Madam Boss didn't keep her word. She threw Jessie in an orphanage at the first opportunity. 

The moment James realized someone from his rich and deceitful family was here he'd probably wanna make a break for it. 

“Wait here.” Jessie told Croquet, and shut the door in his face. 

She threw off the towel and finished putting on the rest of her uniform, gloves and boots included. Fully dressed, she checked to make sure she had all her pokeballs and the pokemon were still inside them -even Wabbufett. When she was sure she was ready to go blasting at a moment's notice, then she woke James. 

One gloved hand on his shoulder, she shook him. 

All he did was groan in protest and roll towards her, his face resting in the curve of her palm, his breath warm through her glove. 

“Wake up!” She snapped at him in annoyance. In one motion, she pulled her hand out from under his face and yanked the covers off him with the other. 

Unfortunately for Meowth, the feline pokemon was still sleeping on top of the blankets and went flying. He tumbled off the bed to the floor in a heap and hissed in protest. The Twerp and his stupid pikachu were supposed to send him blasting off, not his own teammates. “Meowth! What's the big idea!?”

James gasped at the sudden temperature change, one arm groping blindly for blankets that were no longer there. Jessie put his Team Rocket uniform in the path of his searching hand instead. Hand closing over the fabric instinctively, he pulled the shirt up over one shoulder before he realized that it wasn't the blanket he was searching for and he was still cold. Finally forcing his eyes open, James blinked at the bold red R in front of him. 

“There's someone outside, looking for you.” Jessie informed him. 

He continued to blink at the R, still half asleep. Someone the boss sent looking for them, wanting an update on their progress, or else an explanation for their failure? Some backup and support? Or, more likely, a rival pair of Agents to replace them? “Butch and Cassidy? Tell them to get lost. This is our turf.”

“Its your father.” Jessie informed him. Or, at least, someone sent by his father. Truth be told, she was still a bit confused on that score. 

James was instantly awake, practically catapulting out of bed. He knew he shouldn't have used that damn credit card. The moment he flashed his real ID and that stupid magnetic strip was swiped, every accountant, lawyer, and board member of Industrial Illusions knew exactly where he was and what he was doing. Money told a more accurate story than a photograph. He grabbed the rest of his uniform from her and began pulling it on in a hurry. 

“Is it actually my father, or is it Croquet?” He demanded. 

Ah, so the guy she'd already met claiming to be his father wasn't actually his father. At least that got cleared up. “Its the guy I met back during the whole Jessebelle engagement fiasco.”

“Croquet.” James concluded. He pulled his boots on, then his gloves. “What does he want?”

He was prowling the room, checking to make sure they had everything they came with -not that they came with much. Pokemon Trainers tended to travel light and Agents of Team Rocket were no exception to this rule. James patted himself down, making sure he had all his pokeballs and all his pokemon were in them and hadn't let themselves out in the middle of the night. Unlike Jessie's Wobbufett, his Inkay wasn't in the habit of spontaneously letting himself out. But now was not the time to discover that he'd developed the bad habit. 

“He says he just needs to talk to you.” Jessie shrugged. She would never understand rich people. 

He cast an appraising glance at the closed door. Then in the opposite direction to the closed window. He was weighing his options. James must have come to some kind of decision. Because without warning, he scooped up Meowth, tucking the feline pokemon under one arm, grabbed Jessie by the hand and made a B-line for the window. Giving it a strong kick with all the force of a traumatic childhood and unhealthy coping mechanisms behind it. The glass shattered and before Jessie could say 'blasting off again' they were careening through the air, plummeting several stories down. 

James let go of her hand with just enough time for Jessie and himself to do a well practiced aerial flip, land on their feet, roll forward several feet to spend the rest of their momentum from the fall, and finally come to a full stop on the edge of the woods. After being blasted off by the Twerp's pikachu for the past fifteen years, both Jessie and James had become rather good at mid-air maneuvers and hard landings. 

Setting Meowth back on his feet, James looked back up at the broken window of the suit they'd just vacated. Croquet peered down at them, frowning from under his shades. With a smirk of triumph, James flashed him a mock salute and turned to dash into the woods. They needed to catch up with the Twerp anyway and didn't have time to play with his daddy's lackey. 

No sooner had James turned around though, then he found that his and Jessie's path was blocked by yet another stern looking man wearing shades over his eyes and a suit. This one with absurd hair that stuck straight up like a spike. So inelegant. James disliked him on sight. 

“Attention, Trainers!” He said. “My hair is charged with taking you back to Master Pegasus!”

Jessie snorted. “Uh, wut?”

James looked the guy up and down. He was hired muscle to be sure, but he didn't look like a pokemon Trainer. Reaching for Inkay's pokeball, he muttered, “I'd like to see you try.”

The Hair Guy raised one hand, pointing a finger, not at James, but at Jessie. “I'm afraid my hair must insist.” 

The whole Rocket trio looked at the extended finger in confusion. 

“Oy, this guy. Meowth.” Muttered their pokemon companion. “What're you gonna do? Point at us to death? Ain't anybody ever told you pointing's rude.”

“What? No. My hair is threatening you!” He seemed almost personally insulted by their lack of intimidation. 

Jessie tsk'd. “If you're gonna threaten us, shock us with over a hundred volts of electricity, tangle us in vines, blow us up with a fire attack, send us blasting off through the air. Don't point like a disgruntled child on a playground.” 

“I might also suggest adding in some clever rhymes and dramatic poses.” James advised. “No ones gonna care that you're threatening them if you're not eye-catching and bold. You've got no flare! Watch us.”

He straightened his back, making a quarter turn to the left, crossing one arm around his middle, he propped an elbow in his hand and tapped his chin. “Prepare for trouble...”

“That's my line.” Jessie hissed at him from out the corner of her mouth. But it was too late, they'd already started. What kind of decent villains would they be if they ignored basic showmanship. James started it and the show must go on. She straightened her back, making a quarter turn to the right so that she and her partner were almost back-to-back. “...and make it double!”

“To protect the world from devastation.” James shouted.

“To unite all people's within our nation.” Jessie added, her timing perfect to the cue as if it were her own line. 

James made a first with one hand, thrusting the other arm out in front of himself, fingers splayed as if warding off an enemy. “To denounce the evils of Truth and Love!”

“I'm gonna stop you right there, Master James.” Croquet had made it down from the destroyed honeymoon suit and rejoined them on the grass. The old man was bent over, hands resting on his knees as he panted for breath, having apparently run to make it to them so fast. After taking several gulps of air, he straightened. “I thought that might be your reaction, so I came equipped with a back-up plan.”

“What, this guy?” James jerked a thumb at the Hair Guy, unimpressed. 

“No.” Croquet unbuttoned his blazer and from an inside pocket withdrew a pokeball. “I challenge you to a pokeman battle!”

James only shrugged. “Fine. If you really wanna be embarrassed in front of your phallic haired friend that much. C'mon Inkay, lets get this over with.”

But as soon as the dark/psychic type was out of the ball, Croquet reached into his jacket again and pulled out, not another pokeball or a weapon, but a croissant. Fresh from the hotel kitchen, still warm and buttery. This he tossed it at James' Inkay, whom caught it mid-air and began munching with appreciation.

Confident that his opponent's pokemon was adequately distracted, Croquet finally tossed his own ball. “Now, Growlithe!” Shouted Croquet. “Just like we practiced!” 

But the canid fire type that popped out of the pokeball wasn't just any Growlithe. It was James' Growlithe. His beloved pet from when he was a child. 

“G-Growlie?” He sputtered, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be a ruthless agent of the heartless pokemon yakuza group, Team Rocket, and instead falling back to the neglected, and starved for attention child he used to be that would hide in the attic of the Pegasus mansion among with late mothers things, a single Growlithe type pokemon as his only companion. “Wh-uh?”

With a growl of confirmation, the little Growlithe rushed forward. But it wasn't James' Inkay he was going for. Instead, the canid pokemon darted right past the dark/psychic type and instead closed his jaws around James' booted ankle. 

“What the-!?” James looked down, shaking his leg to try and free his boot from the Growlithe's grip. “Growlie, what are you doing? You're supposed to attack the pokemon, not the Trainer.”

Growlie's only response to this was to tug hard enough to pull James off his feet. Very proud of himself, the Growlithe dragged the Trainer back over to Croquet, past the old man, and off to a helicopter that was parked on the hotel's front lawn. 

“Hey! Where are you taking him!?” Jessie demanded. 

But before she could move to her teammate's aid, she was grabbed from behind by the Hair Guy. “My hair's woman grabbing classes worked out way better than those child grabbing classes!”

“Lemme go, you weirdo!” She demanded. 

“You're, of course, welcome to come too, Miss Jessie.” Croquet informed her. “I don't presume to know the nature of your relationship-” sharing a honeymoon suit, sleeping naked together, seemed like more than just teammates to him “-but Master James might need your support.”

“What's that mean!?” 

But they were done answering questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	2. Chapter 2

Gekko knocked on the door to his brother's room. They were all dressed in their finest black suits. Gekko didn't know Richie and Depre even owned suits, but they had managed to find some and dress up. They were all ready to go -except for Yako. 

On the day they received the news that their beloved adopted father, Maximilian Pegasus had died, Yako locked himself away in his room and hadn't come out since. Today was the day of the funeral and Gekko wanted his twin there. Not just for himself and his own emotional support, but because he knew that Yako would regret not going for the rest of his life. 

“Richie and Depre are already downstairs.” He called through the door. “The car's waiting.”

Gekko paused, hoping to hear some kind of reply from his brother. Even something as soul-crushing as a 'go away, Gekko!' so that he would at least know that his brother was alive and hadn't starved himself to death out of grief. Gekko didn't much like the idea of having to mourn his brother while also mourning their adopted father. 

“This is our last chance to say good-bye.” He called through the door, trying one final time to coax Yako out. “You don't want to miss it, do you?”

He waited again. 

When Gekko was sure that his brother wasn't going to respond, he heaved a sigh and turned away. That was when the door opened slowly. Gekko spun around to see his brother shamble out of his room. 

Yako was wearing an Italian cut suit in funeral black, but that was about the only neat thing about him. The top three buttons of the shirt were left unbuttoned, the shirt hanging open revealing just how pale his chest was. His hair was messy and slightly tangled, as if he hadn't combed -or even washed- it in days. There were dark circles under his eyes to show how little sleep he'd been getting. He looked like a train wreck. 

“Sorry, I... I was designing cards.” He said by way of explanation. 

For half a second, Gekko felt a flash of frustration with his twin. Their father just passed away, today was his funeral, and he was coming up with new children's trading cards. But the anger was there and gone in a flash, most likely a result of his own grief. Yako was probably just deflecting. Coping with their loss in his own way. Gekko wrapped one arm around the other man's shoulders. “C'mon, the others are waiting for us. Mullet Guy's already got the car ready.”

“Mullet Guy?” Yako asked, somewhat subdued. “Where's Croquet?”

Here Gekko hesitated. None of them had seen James since he left home over fifteen years ago, forsaking the family business of trading cards and other children's games in favor of hunting, capturing, and battling wild creatures with elemental abilities beyond what is natural for a normal animal. It was pretty clear to all of them that he wanted nothing to do with the family or their business. But both Croquet, and Pegasus' attorney had insisted that James be notified and -if at all possible- brought home. If not in time for the funeral, then at least to settle affairs and accounts. He was, after all, Maximilian Pegasus' only natural born son. The only child to come from Cecelia before her death. Even if there was bad blood between father and son, even if Pegasus did blame James for Cecelia's death, and James resented their father for the way he was treated growing up... Pegasus would still want to leave the man something. 

So, Croquet left to find James.

But Gekko didn't tell Yako any of this. He didn't want to add to his twin's anxieties. Instead, he said, “Don't worry about it. He's looking after our father's interests.”

The other man look skeptically at his brother. It was clear, even though the fog of emotions he was going though that his twin was hiding something. But Yako chose not to comment. He just didn't have the energy today. If it wasn't for the funeral, he wouldn't have even gotten up from the drafting table to shower. 

They made their way down to the car and climbed into the backseat with Richie and Depre. They all looked varying shades of somber and subdued, though, none looked quite as bad as Yako. It was pretty clear to all four of them just who was taking Pegasus' death the hardest. 

The service was exactly what one would expect from an eccentric trillionaire like Maximilian Pegasus. There was the open casket, lined with shiny white silk-satin, the body dressed in Pegasus' finest suit and made-up to look like he was just sleeping peacefully. A person couldn't even tell that his left eye-socket was empty under the closed eye-lid, unless they were looking really hard. But, in addition to the shiny silks, fine suit, and expert makeup, the casket was surrounded by a halo of models and figurines of his favorites cartoon characters, trading cards, and cartoon-themed cards. The Toon World card was tucked between his hands, his signature card to be buried with him. 

Depre, Richie, and Gekko all gave beautiful speeches, full of pretty words. They talked about what a good man he was. How selfless he was to take in four orphans and raise them as his own sons. How big of an impact he made on their lives. That he would live on in their hearts and in their memories... the standard eulogy garbage. Yako didn't speak. He hadn't prepared anything ahead of time, and even if he had, he wasn't in a mood to get up in front of a crowd of board members, investors, rival business men, and gold-digging well-wishers and share his deeper feelings about a man they barely knew or even cared about beyond his checkbook. Besides, he had a bitch of a headache building behind his eye and he just wanted to go home and get back to designing his new cards. 

Finally, the service was ended and they could bury the body. 

All four of them served as casket bearers. 

They laid him to rest next to his beloved Cecelia. All his efforts, plans, and schemes to regain his late love were all for naught, but they were reunited now in death finally. Together forever. 

They sprinkled freshly turned soil over the casket, symbolically burying their father. It was actually the cemetery attendants that filled in the hole. 

After the service, a reception was held at the Industrial Illusions complex. 

Members of the board, game developers, and representatives of rival companies rubbing elbows with Pegasus' survivors, trying to guess which of the four of them would take over control of the company now that Maximilian was gone. By the end of the event, all of them were in as foul and anti-social a mood as Yako had been from the onset. Yako, for his part, had a splitting head ache, so bad one eye was bloodshot and looked to be swelling. Gekko helped him to the car, the pair of them leaving the reception early. Let Richie and Depre handle the buzzards. Yako was clearly unwell and Gekko needed to look out for his brother. 

“The will reading's scheduled for tomorrow.” Gekko said, by way of making conversation. He did not mention that the reading was contingent upon all parties named in the will being in attendance. If one of them were absent -or refused to show up- the reading could not take place. It was one of the stipulations Pegasus made. If James didn't come home, and hear his final wishes, then no one would get anything. That was why Croquet left in such a hurry. But, considering Yako's delicate state, it probably wasn't wise to mention that detail yet. “Father will most likely leave the company to you.”

“Hn.” Was all the response Gekko got. 

“I know. I don't care about the money either.” Gekko took his brother's hand in his, hoping the contact would offer some comfort. “But maybe we'll get some closure.” 

…

The will reading was held in one of the conference rooms of Industrial Illusions. 

Or rather, it was supposed to. 

Instead, Yako and Gekko Tenma, Richie Merced, and Depre Scott all sat at the conference table, their arms crossed over their chest, drumming their fingers on their arms in frustration, or taping their feet with impatience. The poor attorney in charge of Pegasus' will sat at the head of the table, his eyes flicked between the four brothers and the conference room door. His glances expectant, even hopeful toward the latter, and apologetic -even fearful- towards the former. 

“Why haven't we started yet?” Yako demanded after the silence had dragged on long enough. 

The attorney dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief disguised as a pocket square. “Not all beneficiaries named are present.”

Yako looked down the length of the table at all his adopted siblings. Every orphan child Maximilian Pegasus adopted, took into his home, and raised as his own. “Richie, Depre, my brother, and me. Who's missing?” 

Once again dabbing at the nervous sweat on his balding head, the poor attorney informed them all. “James Pegasus is also named as a beneficiary in the late Mr. Pegasus' will. I- I cannot begin until he's here.”

“Jim?”

“Jamie?”

“Baby-Jay?” 

Sure, James was Pegasus' natural born son, his only biological child. But James left fifteen years ago, running off to traipse around dank woods and though mud looking for monsters to shove in his pockets. None of them had seen him in a decade and a half. They were pretty sure he and Pegasus hadn't even spoken in that time. What could be so important that their father would insist on bequeathing it to him? On the one child who made it abundantly clear that he wanted nothing to do with the family, their money, or their father. 

“Just get on with it!” Yako snarled. “You can give Jamie whatever pittance Father left for him later.” 

The attorney dabbed at his forehead again. “The instructions explicitly state that all parties named as beneficiaries must be present.”

Yako growled, low in the back of his throat. That headache from the funeral was back again. A pounding behind one eye, making his eye seem red and bloodshot, almost swollen. It made the attorney more nervous. He dabbed at his sweat again. “Ahem. Well. Unfortunately-”

To his great relief, the door to the conference room was thrown open with a violent bang. 

All eyes turned to see Croquet enter with the Hair Guy, whom was carrying a disgruntled and protesting James over one shoulder. 

None of them had seen their adopted brother in fifteen years, but James looked even more like Pegasus than he had when he was younger. The hair was blue, not silver, but it was the same style and almost the same length. His eyes were wider than Pegasus' were, more like Cecelia's had been, but the high forehead and thin brows above the eyes were all Pegasus. He was wearing some kind of uniform they didn't recognize. Mostly white, white pants, and white shirt over a black undershirt, black gloves and boots, and a bold red letter R on his chest. Presumably that R meant something in pokemon Trainer circles. To Pegasus' adopted sons it was just a random letter. 

The Hair Guy threw James down none too gently in one of the vacant chairs, then moved to bar the door and prevent James from any possible escape. 

From behind the Hair Guy a woman wearing a similar uniform to James' (but a more feminine variation) tried to force her way in. “Hey! What's the big idea!” 

Any relief the poor attorney might have felt at the last heir's sudden arrival evaporated to be replaced by a fresh layer of anxiety at the new source of hostility. “I'm afraid this is a private matter.” He tried to sooth. Glad there was a long conference table and a large, muscular bodyguard between himself and the angry woman.

“Anything anyone has to say to me, they can say in front of Jessie!” James informed the room. 

“See! He says I can come in!” She echoed, and squeezed past the Hair Guy, slipping one leg between Hair Guy's bulky body and the door frame. 

One long leg in a thigh-high black boot, followed by the other, long legs topped by a skin-tight mini-skirt. Christ Almighty! That woman was all legs! Above the too-tiny-to-be-called-a-skirt skirt was bare exposed skin. From her naval to just under her breasts, too wide an area to be considered just a mid-rift. Creamy alabaster skin, with just the lightest sun kiss of a tan indicating time spent outdoors. The white uniform shirt with its red R was split a bit higher than James' was, exposing the black undershirt, and drawing attention to the swell of her breast. It made her neck seem all the more thin and long. A heart shaped face with full red lips, a delicate button nose, high cheek bones and blue eyes. All crowned by a dramatic swoop of scarlet-crimson hair, curving behind her back like the loop of the R on her chest. 

She couldn't possibly be James' woman. She was too hot for him. 

With her came a strange cat-like creature, presumably one of her or James' pokemon that they'd brought with them from the monster regions. Both woman and cat-creature paused to turn and stick their tongues out at the Hair Guy. She took up a seat next to the one James was thrown at and helped him situate himself in the seat with a little more dignity. The cat-monster jumped up on the table between them. 

James looked around the room. There was Croquet, and Hair Guy, all four of the orphans his father adopted and he was forced to call 'brothers', and his father's attorney. There was no sign of Maximilian Pegasus himself. Crossing his arms over his chest, James glared at everyone in the room. “What's this even about?” He demanded. “If father was going to send his thugs to kidnap me and my partner from half-way across the world, he could at least show up to explain why!”

This was met with a stony silence. 

The grim expressions on the faces of his 'brothers' did not go unnoticed. “What? What is it?”

“He's dead, Jim. You heartless idiot.” Richie finally explained, since no one else in the room seemed willing to. One would have thought Croquet would have at least said something while on the way here. 

This time it was James' turn to pause. 

He glared each of his brother's down. Searching their faces for any indication that this was just another farce. After all, his father had had people important to him fake their deaths in order to draw James back before. He had Croquet do it in order to prompt James to return to the Kanto manor and trap him with nuptials to Jessebelle -that he just barely managed to escape. Yako, Gekko, Richie, and Depre all looked grim-faced, and somber. Certainly how one would expect people to look after losing someone important to them. Still, Pegasus had pulled crap like this before...

“I don't believe you.” 

“This is his will reading, you rotten little pissant!” Yako snarled at him, banging a fist on the table. He stood, the action so sudden it sent his chair rolling away to impact the wall behind him. The outburst did nothing for his headache, and Yako bent over, propping one fist on the table for support, the other hand covering his pounding eye. 

Gekko wrapped both arms around his twin, cradling the other man's head. He looked up at Croquet. “My brother has been unwell since the funeral. Could we please get some aspirin, at least until this is finished.” To James he said, “Look, we're all very tired. Things have been difficult for all of us since Duelist Kingdom. All the bad blood between you and our father, can you please just put it aside so we can get this over with? I'm sure he named Yako the new head of I2, so you'll be free to go back to the monster regions and stumble through the woods looking for beasts to shove in your pockets -or whatever it is you Trainers do.”

James grit his teeth as he stood, refusing to confront his 'brothers' sitting down. “Geki, the Perfect son, still your brother's peace-keeper, I see.” To Yako he said, “And you, how do you like still being kept by your brother well into your twenties? When are you gonna grow up and be your own man already?”

Yako snarled again. Glaring at James from between his brother's arms, that one blood-shot, swollen eye fixed on him.

Richie and Depre also stood, glaring across the table at their adopted brother. 

“Hey, now!” Richie growled. “That was uncalled for, Jim. Can't you see Yako's having a difficult time with this? Just because you might not have cared about our father doesn't mean we didn't. I'm honestly amazed he even kept you in the will at all -as ungrateful as you are. Clearly, Father was a better man than you.”

“Clearly?” James scoffed. “He was such a great man that when he found some street kid had boosted the tires off his car, instead of having him arrested and pressing charges, he adopts him. A heart-warning tale of humanitarianism.” His eyebrows came down as his eyes narrowed at his adopted brother. “Did you ever ask him what he was even doing in that part of town? Did you ever wonder what would bring a member of the one percent down to a back-alley in the barrio? He was buying stolen artifacts. Things looted from protected sites, or boosted from cultural museums. How do you think he managed to fill his house with so much authentic Egyptian crap? He was nothing but a well-dress criminal.” 

(Not that James, himself, was any better. Always trying to steal a child's pikachu. But They didn't need to know that, and he liked taking the moral high ground with his 'brothers'.)

Richie sputtered. It had honestly never occurred to him before. 

“You need to back the fuck up!” Depre came around the table to give James a rough shove right in the R on his chest. “You don't get to run away and not talk to anyone for fifteen years, then come back and insult our father the day after his funeral!” 

“Ah, Depre.” He smirked, not phased by the shove even as Jessie reached a hand out to steady him. “Always angry and looking for a reason to fight. Did I upset you? Are you gonna hit me like when we were kids? I must say, after fifteen years of being bitten, swallowed, stepped on, squeezed, electrocuted, and sent blasting off through the air, an old fashioned punch in the face would make me feel so nostalgic!”

“Why, you...”

“Great come-back.” James' smirk widened. “You really put me in my place.”

“Hey! What's the meaning of all this!” James' woman also stood. “You people kidnap us! You bring us here against our will! And for what? So you can all stand around and insult James!? What's the big idea!?”

“I'm sorry, who are you again?” Gekko asked, as polite as he could manage given the circumstances. 

She rounded on him, the only brother in the room who hadn't explicitly insulted her partner falling under her disarmingly terrifying glare. “I'm his partner!”

“So... you're... what?” Gekko rolled his hand, as if urging for a further explanation. “His wife? His girlfriend? His business partner? His training partner?”

“Do you have any idea what this even means!?” She pointed to the red R on her chest.

All four of James' adopted brothers blinked at her. 

“Your- your boobs?” Depre asked. 

Both her hands balled into fist. “Unbelievable! James! Lets teach these guy to prepare for trouble!” 

He hesitated. Looking from between his teammate and his brothers, as if unsure what he should do. Then his eyebrows came down as he came to a decision. He pulled a rose, seemingly from out of nowhere, and stood back to back with his partner. “And make it double!”

“To protect the world from devastation!” She thrust one hand out, fingers splayed. 

“To unite all people within our nation!” James mirrored her pose, also extending his arm and spreading his fingers. Standing back-to-back the image was a wonderful example of symmetry. 

Everyone else in the room stood there, at a bit of a loss as to what it was they were actually seeing here. What was happening? Were they doing a bit? Now was not an appropriate time to be doing a bit. 

“To denounce the evils of truth and love!” She put one booted foot up on the table, leaning forward, and rested an arm on her knee. 

“To extend our reach to the stars above!” As with before, James emulated her pose. 

“Jessie!” She shouted. 

“James!” He threw his stupid rose on the table.

“So, she's your performing arts partner.” Richie cut them off mid-routine. Apparently, a room full of people all in their twenties or older weren't as intimidated as a trio of ten-year-old twerps. 

The poor attorney cleared his throat, drawing attention back to him. He wiped his forehead once again with his sweat-stained handkerchief, and tapped his folder of papers on the table. “If- if we could put a pin in the dramatic improve routines and stirring up of old grudges, please. After I'm done reading this, I still have to preside over your Duels. This is going to be a long affair and you all are just making it longer.”

There was a beat in which no one said anything. Just stared at the lawyer as if they'd forgotten he was even there.

Then one of Jessie's pokeballs popped open of its own accord. “WOBBUFFET!”

Both Trainers wilted in defeat. 

“Did he say 'Duels'?” James muttered, asking no one in particular as he pulled his seat back up to the table. 

“What? Are you deaf too now?” Depre spat back. 

“Shut-up, Depre! Nobody was talking to you!” James was ready to jumped back to his feet if the other man wanted to fight. He wasn't the wimpy little kid who hid in the attic and let his growlithe do all the fighting for him anymore. After over a decade of rough and tumble survivalist lifestyle, nefarious plots and schemes, being physically tested by how own pokemon, and blown sky high by his opponent's pokemon, James was pretty confident he could take his adopted brother in a fight. 

“All of you shut-up!” Croquet reappeared with the aspirin and a glass of water for Yako. He made sure the younger man took it before rounding on everyone else. “It was Master Pegasus' last wish that you all be here, and hear this together! You can at least try to put your petty squabbles aside for a couple hours and let his attorney read the damn paper! If for no other reason than to respect your father's memory.”

All four adopted brothers exchanged a look, taking a silent consensus. For Pegasus, they could sit quiet and tolerate James' presence for a little while. Then all four pairs of eyes turned to glare at the aforementioned pokemon Trainer, as if daring him to be the petty one and continue to fight and argue with them and disrespect their father's memory. 

Well, James was just reflecting a couple moments ago how rarely he got to take the high road in his line of work. So, fine. If the others were gonna try and play nice until the document was read, then he would to. Like hell was he gonna let them think they were better than him! Crossing his arms over his chest, he pointedly looked away from the other four. “Fine. Whatever.”

That finally settled, the first expression of true relief he'd had that day crossed the attorney's face. This ordeal was almost over. “I, Maximilian Crawford Pegasus, presently of Industrial Illusions, Sanfran City, Sanfran Region, declare that this is my Last Will and Testament. I revoke all prior Wills and Codicils.”

As with any legal will, the first part was all garbage. Information that was required to be included in the document and recited during the reading, but not actually pertinent to the parties gathered. Finally, they got to what everyone wanted to know. 

“To my son, James, I leave my diary.” Read the attorney. “In the hopes that he read it and know all the things I could never say to him in life. A little late, but perhaps this could bridge the gap between us.”

Croquet placed a battered looking book with reddish-brown stains splattered on the cover in front of him. James stared at the cover, he recognized the book, he'd seen his father writing in it while ignoring him often enough. The reddish-brown stains were new though. Too red to be coffee. Too brown to be wine. And they weren't really in a spill pattern so much as a splatter, or a spray. James bolted to his feet the moment he realized what they were, nearly stumbling over his own chair as he backed away from the book on the table. “Is that blood!?”

There was a beat of silence. 

Then, Yako, his head still in his hands fixed James with that one swollen eye. “When I find the man who killed father, I am going to make them wish they'd never been born.”

Well, damn. Okay. So, the old man had been murdered. Amazingly, James was not surprised. 

Jessie took his hand in hers, thinking now would be a good time to start giving some of that support Croquet mentioned he might need in the helicopter. Regardless of what his relationship with the man was, to hear that your father was not only dead but that he had been murdered. It would be hard for anyone to process. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. 

James looked down at their joined hands, then at her. He offered her a gentle smile and sat back down. Honestly, if she hadn't been here, he would have told Inkay to cover the whole room in ink and stormed out when Depre shoved him. But he wanted to look strong for her. He wanted her to think he was strong, not just some pampered rich boy she had to drag around, but an equal partner worthy of her. James wanted Jessie to think he was worthy. 

The attorney cleared his throat. What happened to Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom was a tragedy, to be sure. But that wasn't what they were here for today. Today was to settle accounts and made sure each of Pegasus' heirs got their due. 

Each man was granted a sizable chunk of the fortune to spend as they pleased. In addition to that, each brother was also given some sort of property. The townhouse in Domino City went to Yako. The summer home went to Gekko. The lake house to Richie. Depre got one of the yachts. And the manor in Kanto went to James. The main house in Sanfran, as well as the Duelist Kingdom island would go to the one who took over the company. 

Then they finally got down to what was to be done with the company. Industrial Illusions. The family business. 

“The successor to ownership of Industrial Illusions and my chair as CEO shall be decided by Duel.” Read the attorney, surprising everyone in the room. To think someone as responsible and as carful a planner as Maximilian Pegasus would leave something as important as who takes over the company after him to be decided by something as mundane as a children's card game! “My five sons, Yako Tenma, Gekko Tenma, Richie Merced, Depre Scott, and James Pegasus shall Duel each other at the popular Duel Monsters game that I created, and the winner shall inherit my empire.”

A stunned silence fell over the table. 

“It doesn't really say that!” Richie shook his head. “He has to have left it to Yako. He cares the most about the company! Hell! Father was already grooming him to take it over!”

“Let me see that!” Depre stood from the table, walking around to the head where the attorney sat, and yanked the document out of the older man's hands. He scrutinized the page for several moments before his expression fell. “It really says that.”

The lawyer pulled the will back out of Depre's hands. He cleared his throat and continued to read. “The Duels shall be presided over by my attorney whom shall declare my heir when a winner emerges. Any whom have a stake in the company and wish to witness may come and watch, but the only ones allowed to participate are those listed. Tell that-” a pause to uncomfortably clear his throat “-tell that little upstart Kaiba-boy that these are rules he can't screw.”

The attorney finished and set the papers down. 

Well, now James understood what he meant when he said he still had to watch their Duels. 

“So, that's it then.” He scoffed. “You four get to play card games to inherit the company. Great way to run a business, guys! Have fun with that.” James stood to leave, scooping up his father's diary as he headed for the door. “Thanks for the book, there's a table at Rocket Headquarters with a wobbly leg I've been meaning to fix.”

Jessie stood to follow him, this cat-like-monster hopping onto her shoulder. 

“I'd say it was nice seeing you all again, but it really wasn't.” James gave a wave from over his shoulder, not even looking back. “Have a bad life.”

“Yeah, go ahead and leave, Baby-Jay.” Depre shouted after him. “Its what you're best at!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. It is the property of Tajiri Satoshi, Sugimori Ken, Nintendo, Creatures Inc., Game Freak, OLM Inc., TV Tokyo, 4Kids Entertainment, and the Pokemon Company International. Neither do I own Yu-Gi-Oh!. It is the property of Takahashi Kazuki, Shueisha, Viz Media, Toei Animation, 4Kids Entertainment, and Cartoon Network. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment. 

Inheritance Duel 

Chapter Three:

“James! Wait up! Wait! Hey!” Jessie had never seen her teammate move so quickly before. She and Meowth had to run to catch up as he power-walked away from the Industrial Illusions complex. 

His back was straight, his shoulders set, the book he'd received as inheritance from Pegasus tucked under one arm. To the untrained observer, he would have looked calm and secure -confident, even. If you ignored the speed with which he was fleeing the company seat. But Jessie could see, even as she jogged to catch up to him, his back was just a bit too straight, like a rod had been shoved up his spine. The set of his shoulders was from tension, not confidence. He was upset, and he was doing everything in his power not to show it. 

Stumbling and chasing after James, before Jessie knew it, they turned a corner and the Industrial Illusions complex was out of sight. That was when James finally slowed enough for Jessie and Meowth to catch up. He made another turn, this time down an alley and came to a full stop with his back against a wall. Jessie came up to him just as he slid down to sit on the dirty ground, his face in his knees, his father's diary pressed to his chest. 

Panting slightly, Jessie also went to her knees in front of him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

His hair fell over his face, the straight blue locks hiding his eyes, making it impossible to read his expression. Jessie couldn't tell what he was thinking. 

“I didn't want them to see me like this.” He muttered to his knees, so softly that Jessie almost didn't hear him. James tilted his head back, hair falling away from his face so that she could clearly see that there were, indeed, tears running down his cheeks. But, he wasn't actually crying. Not really. Sure, James had tears in his eyes, but the corners of his mouth were turned upwards and his teeth were barred in a rueful -almost feral- grin. “It's just so stupid!” 

Jessie was a bit taken aback. This was not how normal people were supposed to react to hearing their parent had just died. This was definitely not how she reacted when she was told her mother was never coming back for her. 

James put a fist to his head. The tears continued to stream down his face as he laughed. “Card games!” He all but shouted. “Of course, the old bastard would make it card games! The fate of an international, multi-trillion capitol company, and he make's it the prize of a children's card game. Its so stupid!”

Unsure what to do or say to that, Jessie just stood there, Meowth clinging to her leg as they watched their teammate break down into a fit of laughter and tears that could only be called hysterical. 

“Uh... Jimmy, you okay there, buddy...?” Meowth ventured unsure. Hysterical emotional displays that bordered on 'terrifying' were usually Jessie's thing. James tended to be the calmer and more relaxed voice of reason. The pokemon wasn't sure what to do with this laughing, crying, frightening version of his teammate. 

He continued to laugh for several moments more while Jessie and Meowth just stared at him. It reverberated off the ally walls, making it seem all the louder. Passers by on the sidewalk looked at them strangely. It was all Jessie could do to offer them a placating grin and an awkward wave. Nothing to see here, folks. Just some guy having what appears to be a complete mental break-down. Go about your day. Move along. 

At least the 'metal break-down' part was an appropriate reaction to learning that your parent was dead. 

Finally, James paused for breath. He wiped his eyes and took several deep breaths to get his hysterical laughter under control. When he looked back at them, his eyes were dry and that deranged grin was replaced by his usual suave smirk. Meowth half-expected him to pull out one of his trademark roses. “Sorry you had to see that, guys.” He said, as if he'd just made nothing more than an embarrassing trip and stumble during one of their routines. “But I'm all better now. Never been better, in fact! We should get going. We'll need to arrange passage back to the monster regions and one of us should call the boss and make sure he knows we didn't just up and desert.”

Both Meowth and Jessie exchanged a look. Neither of them believe that James was 'fine' for a second. 

“Are, uh, are you sure you don't wanna take a bit more time?” Jessie ventured. “I'm sure the boss would understand. Bereavement, or whatever. I mean, taking time off is a normal thing that people do after a death in the family. Giovanni wouldn't hold it against you.” A pause. “I don't think.”

James just looked at her, eyes devoid of feeling. It was impossible to tell what was going on in that head of his. Not that she'd be able to tell what he was thinking even if his face was expressive, if the laugh-crying fit he'd just finished was any indication. For the first time in their years-long partnership, Jessie had no idea how to read James. He had suddenly become a mystery to her, and that was concerning. They were usually so close. 

Then, he gave another smirk. A cold, humorless smirk. As if laughing at some cruel joke he'd only just figured out the punchline to. “No... the boss would be glad to hear Maximilian Pegasus is dead.” 

Why did that sound like it was not a good thing?

Suddenly, Jessie didn't want to tell Giovanni that James -and the rest of their team- needed bereavement leave. 

She and Meowth exchanged another look. 

“Why don't we get something to eat!” Jessie finally suggested instead. “You can't grieve properly on an empty stomach. Believe me, I've tried!” She plastered her best 'believe me, I'm helping you' smile on her face. The one she usually only reserved for fooling the twerps. 

“Meowth! That's right!” Meowth jumped on the suggestion. “We're in Sanfran City. What'cha say we try some of that famous sourdough bread!” 

James only looked at them, that same blank expression. Completely devoid of feeling. He did not seem all that enthused. “Yeah. Okay. Fine.”

…

It was a cute little cafe with a seating area overlooking the bay. 

Jessie got a salad in a bread bowel and Meowth ordered the tuna melt. 

Then their server freaked out because holy crap a talking monster! Ahh! And the manager had to come out and apologize to them, they didn't get many Trainers from the monster regions in Sanfran City. But, was their pocket monster a service animal? Because this was a restaurant and they couldn't have pocket monsters in the dining area unless they were service animals. 

“This is my emotional support meowth.” James said without inflection, then went back to staring out at the bay. 

There was a beat of silence. 

Jessie grit her teeth in a mockery of a smile. “Are you doubting a pokemon that's so well trained it can say more than its own name, can speak in complete sentences, and is intelligent enough to read a menu and order food for itself, isn't capable of behaving in a restaurant?” 

There was another beat of silence. 

Finally the manager apologized a second time. Sanfran and Domino weren't monster regions. They didn't get many pokemon here. They weren't used to seeing them out in public and didn't know how to act. The manager left to put their orders in personally. 

When they were alone again Jessie and Meowth both turned their attention back to James. His chin was resting in his hand, face turned, eyes staring blankly across the water, fingers drumming absentmindedly on his father's diary. 

“So... ya gonna read that? Or is it just gonna make a nice coaster for your drink?” Meowth asked, eyeing the diary. 

James looked down at the book under his hand, staring at it almost as if he'd forgotten it was even there. He scratched at one of the smaller specks of blood splatter. He looked back at his companions, whom were both gazing at him expectantly. They, at least, wanted him to start reading his father's diary. Maybe not quite so much for James himself, but probably more out of a burning curiosity. Both Jessie and Meowth were sort of caught up and swept away with him in this little family drama and he hadn't exactly done much in the way of explanations for them. They probably thought reading the diary might fill in some of the holes. Mechanically, James cracked open the book. 

...and a trading card fell out.

Of course the old man would even keep trading cards in his diary. Why wouldn't he? It was so stupid! James bent down to pick up the card from where it had fallen under the table. From the back at least, it looked like every other Duel Monsters card on the planet. Mostly mahogany with a long black oval in the center. Nothing special, nothing to get excited about. It was probably one of his precious toon cards. Probably Dark Rabbit or Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon. But that was not what James saw when he flipped the card over. 

James froze. 

His mother's picture gazed back at him from the trading card. 

Rendered in oils. One of his father's paintings resized and cropped to fit the card dimensions, not a photograph. Her golden hair fluffed out in an 80s perm, teal eyes contented and full of affection, smile gentle. Wearing a lilac easter dress with white lace ruffling the collar and three pink bows down the front. In the bottom corner of the frame, James could just make out a bouquet of white roses she was holding. It struck him then that his mother was always holding some kind of rose in every picture he'd seen of her, and he wondered if that was why he himself had developed a certain affinity for the flower. 

Meowth and Jessie exchanged another concerned look. James hadn't moved in several moments. He just sat there, staring at the trading card that fell out of the book. 

Jessie forced another supportive smile on her face. “What card is that, James? Is it a really powerful one?”

He looked up at her, almost startled. As if he'd forgotten that she and Meowth were even there. He looked back down at the card, then shoved it back between two pages and shut the diary with a punctuating snap. “No. Its not even part of the game.”

Their food arrived and James quickly decided he wasn't actually hungry. Instead of letting the food go to waste, he let Inkay out of his pokeball and gave the ham and cheese sandwich on a butter croissant to the pokemon. Inkay had a particular fondness for croissants, anyway, and the salt and protein from the ham and cheese would be good for him too. It wasn't healthy for pokemon to live on an almost all bread diet. 

“Is that another service monster?” The cafe manager asked when they returned to the table to check up.

“This is my seizure Inkay.” James said without inflection. “Psychic-types are great at predicting seizures and fits.”

“In-kay!” The pokemon hovered happily next to his Trainer, and munched contentedly on his sandwich. Completely oblivious to what the humans were talking about. 

The cafe manager was starting to doubt the validity of James' claims that his monsters were, indeed, service animals. But they just didn't know enough about pocket monsters to call him on it. Aside from drawing the attention of other customers, prompting curious looks and squeals from small children to 'pet the kitty's coin!', they didn't seem to be bothering anyone. Begrudgingly, the manager left. 

“Aren't you going to eat anything?” Jessie asked.

James glanced sideways at his sandwich, already halfway down Inkay's throat. “Not hungry.”

Jessie broke off part of her breadbowel and offered it to her partner. “You have to eat something. Experience has shown me that grieving on an empty stomach just makes things worse.” 

“I'm not grieving.” James informed her, pushing the bread in her hand away. “There's nothing to grieve about.”

Both Jessie and Meowth exchanged what was probably their seventh significant look since leaving the Industrial Illusions complex. This wasn't normal James behavior. They were both already concerned, but not they were wondering if it was time to upgrade their 'concern' into 'worry'.

“James,” Jessie ventured gently. She remembered how she felt when her mother disappeared. Lost and confused. Lonely and vulnerable. Angry and in denial. Her partner was probably just still too shocked to process what he'd learned, and was in denial because of it. That would certainly explain his behavior. Those were all normal things to go through when a person was grieving. “Your father just died. That's a pretty big thing to grieve about. I understand its hard -believe me, I understand- but you have to take care of yourself.” 

She offered him the bread again. 

He pushed it away again. 

“Father and I have been dead to each other for years.” 

Her eyes narrowed at him in frustration. Jessie knew for a fact that that wasn't true. If it was, then Pegasus wouldn't have even bothered to include James in his will at all. He wouldn't have left James his diary -presumably so the younger man could better understand his feelings, not the Jessie had any real idea. But before that, if James was dead to his father, then Pegasus wouldn't have orchestrated and stupid farce with Croquet posing as James' father at the Kanto mansion. The ridiculous fiasco where they tried to trap him in a forced marriage to Jessebelle. So, clearly, James was not dead to his father. 

“What makes you think that?” Jessie demanded. “Parents love their kids. That's what parents do!”

Growing up, she and her mother didn't have much. But there was never a point -ever- while Miyamoto was alive that Jessie didn't feel loved. She was the most important thing in her mother's world and she knew it. Jessie had never felt that level of devotion, comfort, and safety from another person again. Every now and again, while nursing each other after a blast off, her team came close to making Jessie feel that way. James, Meowth, and herself supporting and caring for each other like they were family. It was close, but not the same. 

“My father didn't love me.” James informed her in that same flat, even tone, devoid of inflection he used when lying that Meowth and Inkay were service pokemon. “He always hated me and wished I was never born.”

“That's just absurd.” Jessie shook her head, refusing to believe that his father loved him any less than her mother loved her. “What could possibly make you think that?”

“Because he told me!” James shouted. The first true emotion he showed since his hysterical laugh-cry fit in the alley. “That man always hated me, ever since the day I was born. He wished it was me who died instead of my mother!”

At that admission Jessie shut her mouth, forgetting whatever it was she was about to say next. She never considered that before. She thought it was odd when she didn't see a woman who could be James' mother at the will reading. But she just assumed it was because they might have been divorced. That was a thing that rich people did, right? Got divorced when the relationship wasn't fun anymore? Jessie hadn't actually considered the possibility that James' mother might be dead. Like her mother was. He was so different from her, Jessie never thought they could have that in common. 

Except, if she died when he was born, then James never would have gotten the chance to know his mother. Maybe that was the difference. Jessie had very clear and defined memories of Miyamoto. She knew who she was, what she wanted -both for herself and for her daughter- her hopes and dreams, and that she loved her. James wouldn't have any memories about his mother. Just a name, some old photos, and a father that blames him for her death. That was the defining difference between them. 

“He dumped me with the household staff the moment I came home from the hospital and split to hop around the globe on some soul-searching grief-sojourn.” James continued, standing from the table, hands balled into fists. “Then when he got to Egypt he got obsessed with their ideas of life after death and absurd resurrection mythos. Instead of ignoring me to run around the world, he was ignoring me to dabble in the occult and buy crap stolen from museums or raided from protected tombs!” 

“That's terrible...” Jessie tired reaching for his hand. Part to give him comfort and support. She was his friend and she was here for him. But also partly because he was standing up and shouting, causing a scene and earning them uncomfortable looks. 

“I'm not done yet!” Her partner refused to be comforted or censored. “Then he started designing that stupid card game! Duel Monsters! Whenever he paused in his absurd resurrection quest and had time to pay attention to me -he didn't! He would go into his studio and paint the artwork for his absurd trading cards! Any time he had an opportunity to spend time with me, he would suddenly and inexplicably find something else to do! He even adopted four other boys so that he could give them all the love and affection he was supposed to be giving to me! He hated me that much! My father never loved me! And now he's dead!”

James was back to hysterical now. Tears streaming down his face as he shouted. Face red with so much emotion he felt like he might burst from too much feeling all at once. His legs felt weak under him. The outburst draining him. James crumpled to his knees next to his abandoned chair. 

“My father never loved me.” He repeated, staring at the black gloves of his Team Rocket uniform. Fingers trembling. Eyes wide with a sudden realization. “And now he's dead and he never will.”

The admission was like the breaking of a dam. All at once a wave of feeling washed over him. Sweeping him up in a tumbling storm of emotions. Anger, bitterness, resentment, regret, longing, and good ol' fashioned sadness. It was all too much. Too much to experience all at once. For the first time since learning that Maximilian Pegasus had passed away, James cried. 

Ugly cried. 

Loud, gulping sobs. Eyes pinched shut as thick wet tears streamed down his face. Snot dripping from his nose. Spit leaking from his lips as he bawled. Right there on the floor of the cafe. In front of a room full of strangers. Everyone was staring at him and James didn't care. He didn't even notice. He was the only person in his world and his world was wretched misery. It wasn't bad enough that his father never loved him. But now he was dead, so there was no possibility of him ever coming to care about James in the future. The possibility was taken from him before he even realized it existed in the first place. 

Jessie was out of her own seat and on the floor next to him in an instant. 

Wrapping both arms around his shoulders, she hugged him against herself making as many gentle and soothing sounds that she knew. She didn't say anything. Jessie didn't actually know what to say. 'Don't worry. It'll be okay. Hush, hush. Everything will be just fine.' She knew from personal experience that -while things might turn out okay- hearing it at this point would not help anything. It would just sound hollow, an empty platitude that's told to people in times of grief. Like putting a bandaid on a still bleeding wound. 

The manager appeared again to see what the commotion was. Saw the Trainers from the monster regions on the ground, hugging each other and one of them sobbing hysterically. 

Meowth hopped down from his own seat and decided he should probably act like the 'comfort animal' James claimed he was. “There, there, Jimmy-boy. There, there.”

Amazingly, this did nothing to sooth his distraught companion's loud waterworks. 

That was also about the time Jessie's Wobbuffet decided to let himself out of his pokeball. “WOBBUFFET!”

The cafe manager opened his mouth to ask- 

“He's a seeing-eye Wobbuffet!” Jessie snarled before they could even get the words out. 

Through all of this, James sat there on the floor. Tears streaming uncontrollably down his face. Snot dripping from his nose that even the loudest and most gross sounding sniffles couldn't stem the flow of. Completely oblivious to the people and pokemon around him. He just kept sobbing. 

Jessie pulled a napkin down off the table and wiped his eyes. But the tears kept coming. 

“Is he alright?” Asked the cafe manager. 

“Ink-ay?” James' Inkay echoed their question, but with far more concern. He wasn't used to his Trainer breaking down into distressed hysterics. 

“Meow! Shut-up and lemme work!” Meowth growled at the human. 

“Should- should I call someone?” Asked the manager.

Jessie reached an arm around James to slip a hand into his back pocket. She pulled out his wallet and the Platinum Black Infinity credit card that was in it. She thrust the card at the clueless manager. “No. Just bring us the bill.” 

Not knowing what else to do, and fairly certain that they couldn't help, the cafe manager took the card that was shoved at them and disappeared to run it. The first server, the one who freaked out over Meowth being able to talk was given a forceful shove and hesitantly padded back to their table to pack their barely eaten meal into to-go containers and clear the used dishes. 

The manager reappeared with the card and a receipt for James to sign. 

Jessie forged his signature for him. He wasn't exactly in the correct sorts to sign his name without soaking the paper. Besides, forging each other's signatures was no big deal for the members of Team Rocket, and it wasn't like 'James Pegasus' was hard to spell. The cafe manager watched her sign for the card that he had also watched her pull out of the other person's pocket without batting an eyelash. They also agreed that the hysterically sobbing man wasn't in any kind of state to be an adult. 

Bill paid, to-go containers packed, the Team was all ready to leave. Except they couldn't get James up off the floor. He didn't seem to have the strength to lift himself and Jessie wasn't even sure if motion and activity was what he needed right now. Sure, he was on the floor, but that was probably the single most stable place for him right now. 

She wasn't sure how long they spent like that. On the floor next to an already cleared table that still couldn't be used for other patrons because James was putting on a water-show right up alongside it. The entire dining area still staring at them. 

Jessie wasn't surprised when Croquet finally showed up. He could track James through their credit card use and half-way across town was way easier and faster to get to than all the way to the middle of Kalos region. He and Jessie made eye-contact, or, she assumed they made eye-contact. She couldn't actually see his eyes with those shades on. But they shared a nod of understanding, and the older man knelt down next to -the still ugly sobbing- James. He put one hand to the younger man's back and hooked another one under his knees. Lifting with his legs and with a little help from Jessie, Croquet was able to scoop James up into his arms. 

“C'mon, Master James.” He said in a quiet voice adults usually reserved for soothing distraught children. “Lets get you home.”

Jessie and Meowth both blinked at the mention of 'home'. The manor in Kanto? Or another mention here in Sanfran? She grabbed Inkay's pokeball and put both James' dark/psychic type and her own Wobbuffet away. She just barely remembered to grab the late Pegasus' diary before she and Meowth sprinted to follow Croquet out. He laid James down in the back seat of an elegant looking limo and held the door open for Jessie and Meowth to climb in after him. 

The moment she was seated next to him, James was the one to wrap his arms about her and burry his face in her chest. Jessie felt the gap between her breasts moisten from his tears and she sighed, stroking his hair. “I'm here for you.”

…

The house Croquet drove them to was a wide, sprawling mansion, with a driveway so long it deserved its own street name, and a yard so large it needed its own zip-code. 

Jessie climbed out of the car, James still clinging to her, and blinked up at the giant example of Edwardian architecture and modern opulence. It was three times the size of the mansion she'd seen in Kanto. 

James also blinked up at the house, wiping crust from dried tears out of his own eyes. “The main house?” He identified, voice low and subdued. “But I thought it was being held for whoever took over the company.” 

“I'm sure Master Pegasus wouldn't mind.” Croquet assured him. 

“I'm pretty sure he would.” James argued. He'd just finished explaining to Jessie how much his father hated him. He could not imagine the old man being okay with him staying in one of the family properties without demanding something in return. Especially not a property that was supposed to be held vacant and in reserve for another member of the family that Pegasus did love. 

Jessie put both hands on his shoulders. “I'm pretty sure he's dead and doesn't get an opinion.”

One arm around her teammate, the diary under the other, and Meowth on her shoulder, she allowed Croquet to show them inside. 

James had mentioned that his father was obsessed with Egypt and bought authentic cultural artifacts looted from tombs or stolen from museums. That still didn't prepare her for what she saw upon first setting foot in the Pegasus mansion. 

The underlying architecture of the building was distinctly western, the interior originally being paneled in wood. But the wood had been sanded down to a rough finish to look more like sandstone, painted in tones of ivory, and sealed with a varnish. Immediately inside the foyer, the front door was flanked by two statues. Humanoid in shape, but one with the head of an egret, the other crocodile. They both stood with their left feet forward, giving the entryway an asymmetrical appearance. Upon closer inspection, Jessie saw that they weren't just plated in gold, if the dents and age-cracks in them were any indication, they were solid gold. 

She looked around the room. The cushions of the window seats in the bow windows were upholstered in heavy satin of a deep river-blue, and the curtains were woven from a gauzy linen and trimmed with gold fringe and tassels. Against one wall was mounted a slab of stone carved with lines upon lines of hieroglyphics. It was cracked and sanded in places, the intricate text worn away and fading in places. It looked like it had been dug out of the desert sand. Against the opposite wall was another such slab of stone. This one, instead of lines of text, featured the image of a man -Jessie could only assume some sort of Pharaoh or Priest of some kind- standing before a scale, a heart on one side, a feather on the other. Just like the other, this one was also sanded and cracked, pieces missing from the image. 

It was all Jessie could do to just stand there, in the middle of the foyer, and stare at everything. Meowth, on her shoulder, just as wide-eyed and impressed as she was. 

James, however, was not so enthused. 

He didn't even bat an eyelash at the golden statues, the fine satins and linen draperies, or the authentic hieroglyphic tablets. He grew up surrounded by all this crap. It was nothing special to him. James just headed directly up the stairs. Sprinted, actually. Like an upset child running away to sulk after a fit. 

“Hey, wait! Where are you going?” She followed him up the stairs. 

The main stair ended on a second floor landing with a corridor lined with doors -presumably bedrooms. But James didn't go for any of these. Instead, he went right to the end of the hall, jumped up to grab a string hanging from the ceiling, and pulled down an attic stair. He disappeared into the ceiling. 

Jessie huffed. James was usually so calm and temperate. She was really starting to get annoyed with this new high-maintenance version of James. She was used to being the high-maintenance one that got taken care of. Jessie had to bend to squeeze though the attic access and Meowth jumped off her shoulder to dash in before her. 

They found their teammate curled up in a corner, between two trunks and a rack of hanging garment bags. 

Meowth hopped up on the lid of one of the trunks and pawed at James' periwinkle hair. “Is this gonna be Water-show Episode Two?”

He looked up at his pokemon companion, unamused, but with dry eyes. 

Jessie sat down close to him. She threw Pegasus' diary down on the other trunk and took one of his hands in hers. 

He looked at their joined hands and offered her a weak, but apologetic smile, and shifted their position to intertwine his fingers with hers. 

“I would hide up here a lot.” He said at last. He indicated the trunks, and garment bags, and boxes. “This all my mother's stuff. When my father would ignore me, or worse, go off on his rants about how I killed her and he wished it was me who died instead, I would come up here and hide with her things.”

Jessie looked at the garment bags, and boxes, and trunks. There were a lot of things being stored in this attic. Books, and clothes, and artwork. 

“I would try on her dresses and play with her make-up.” He continued. 

“That's why your contouring has always been so great!” Jessie smiled at him. It made her jealous some times, but she was still secure enough to admit that James made a much prettier woman than she did. 

He flashed another weak smile at the complement, nodding slightly. Years of practice and trial and error with make-up before he was even ten did make him a professional-level cosmetologist. 

“It was sort of my way of getting to know her. Connecting through her stuff. And, maybe... maybe I might have also thought that if I could make myself more like her, then Father wouldn't hate me quite so much.” He gave another weak smile. Dressing up was also pretty fun. It was one of the main reasons why he was still so willing and enthusiastic about crossdressing as part of their schemes and cons. He liked to feel pretty. But then his smile turned into a frown as he remembered what usually happened when he would dress up. “But then Depre would call me a 'fag' and beat me up.”

Jessie frowned in disapproval. 

Team Rocket was lots of things. An unscrupulous organization that had no qualms about harassing children, stealing other children's pokemon, or cheating in matches. A cold yakuza group that abandoned the children of their Agents unless they also became Agents. Team Rocket was evil and it was full of bad guys. She and James were both bad guys. But they never once discriminated against anyone for how they identified, dressed, or their hobbies. Team Rocket was evil, but it wasn't bigoted. It was evil with standards. Jessie instantly decided she hated James' adopted brothers. She didn't like them much at the will reading, but they had all just lost a parent and negative emotions were to be expected. But they hurt her James, and that was inexcusable. 

Where did they get off? Really! There they were, all adopted into this wealthy household. All their worries and fears forgotten. Sheltered and provided for. All their needs catered to without a moment's hesitation! If something like that had happened for Jessie after he mother disappeared, she would have been the sweetest, happiest, most appreciative girl in the world. She would have made friends with all the other children of the household and did her best to prove that the decision to adopt her was the best decision ever. She would not have harassed or assaulted the only biological child of the people who adopted her. As a member of Team Rocket and James as partner, she was distrustful of them because James distrusted them. But as a fellow orphan -an orphan who never got the same privileges and opportunities that they did- she hated them. They gave orphans a bad name. She wanted to punish them. 

“I think you should hurt them back.” She told him. 

“What?” James blinked at her. 

“The company. The family money. Take it from them.” She clarified. “You know how to play that game, right? Duel Monsters. The card game you have to play to win everything.”

“I grew up with the game, of course I know how to play.” He did not seem very enthusiastic. 

“Then do it. Beat them at their own game. Take away everything they want. Take away everything your father built and tear it down!” She grinned at him, an almost cheshire cat grin. “Give them trouble!”

James had to admit, he like the idea of taking over his father's empire just to break it up and sell it off. Destroy everything the old man had built. Erase his legacy. “You'll help me make it double.”

“To bring about I2's devastation...” She stood, pulling James to his feet as well.

“No more card games in the nation...” They stood there, hands together, fingers intertwined. 

“Because they denied you truth and love.” Jessie met his eyes, her blue depths conveying more feelings than she would ever admit out loud. 

“I'll crush them within my glove.” He gazed back at her. His own green eyes mirroring the emotions she reflected. 

Jessie's breath caught in her chest. Standing so close together, fingers intertwined, eyes matched. Somehow, this became so much more intimate than she had intended. Jessie felt her cheeks warm with a blush. “James...”

“Jessie...” He echoed, leaning in closer. 

“Meow! Are you two gonna kiss?” Asked their pokemon companion, shattering the spell they seemed to have cast on themselves. 

Both humans let got of the others hands instantly! Each took a step back, turning slightly so that they were no longer facing each other. Their faces bright red. 

“Of- of course not!” They both shouted at the small feline monster, as if the very idea was insulting. “We're partners! Why would we?”

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	4. Chapter 4

Croquet awoke to the sensation of a weight on his chest. 

Opening his eyes, he blinked at the cat-like monster Master James and not-Jessebelle had brought with them from the monster regions. A meowth, they called it. He blinked at the creature, wondering how it got in his room and if it might possibly be dangerous without a Trainer around. His experience with pokemon was limited to Growlie, and he was a domesticated canid type. The worst thing he ever did was pee on the irreplaceable antique Egyptian carpets. 

“Feed me.” Commanded the meowth. 

Croquet continued to blink at it. That was right, this one spoke. Pokemon weren't supposed to be able to talk. At least, not anything more than their own names. But this one did speak. “What?”

“You're, like, the butler, right?” The tiny monster announced. He began grooming one arm, paw outstretched, toe-beans spread, sharp, razor-like claws just barely poking out. It was such an innocent and mundane action. But it reminded Croquet that this deceptively cute cat-like creature could probably slice him to ribbons. Pocket monsters were still monsters. 

“I'll have you know, I am the head of the late Master Pegasus' security forces.” Croquet informed the feline monster tersely.

“A combat-butler, then.” Meowth jumped off his chest, finding a new perch at the foot of the bed. “Get up and feed me.”

“What do you eat?” Croquet asked, climbing out of bed.

“Whatever's for breakfast.” The pokemon informed him. “I'm not picky. Normally, Jimmy cooks. But he's been shuffling, and stacking, and reshuffling trading cards since he got up this morning, and Jessie's still asleep. So, that leaves you.” The cat jumped to the floor and padded to the bedroom door. To Croquet's great shock, it stretched up on its hind legs and turned the door handle. “I'll give you a few more minutes to finish getting ready and Men-In-Black yourself up.” 

Meowth left.

Croquet blinked after him. “Wait. Did he say Master James was shuffling trading cards?”

…

Sure enough, when Croquet made his way downstairs after showering and putting on the day's black suit (his sunglasses in a breast-pocket), Master James was sitting in the late Master Pegasus' study. 

He wasn't wearing his Team Rocket uniform anymore either. Instead, James wore a pair of white dress-slacks and a black button down shirt. There was a red blazer with whit piping thrown over the back of the chair that almost looked like one of Pegasus' suit jackets. But while the colors might have been the same, the cut was all wrong. 

All of the photos Pegasus kept on his desk were flipped face down so that James didn't have to look at them. Of course, images of his father smiling and looking happy with his adopted brothers was not something he would want to see right now. But Croquet wondered if he took note of the one frame that did not have a photo of his brothers before flipping them all over. 

Covering the space directly in front of James were rows of trading cards. Laid out and arranged in stacks of compatibility. He was building a deck. A Main deck and an Extra deck. He was taking the game seriously. 

“You're going to Duel.” Croquet said by way of announcing his presence. Coming into the room, he stood before the desk, like he had so many times before with Master Pegasus. “Did you read the diary?”

James paused in studying his cards. Lacing his fingers together, resting his chin on his hands, periwinkle blue forelocks falling over half his face covering one eye. James looked so much like Master Pegasus sitting there! If someone had told Croquet that it was, in fact, Maximilian Pegasus back from the dead, he would have believed them. -Except that James had Cecelia's eyes. 

“No.” He informed his father's right hand man. “Jessie said something yesterday to change my mind.” 

“Oh.” Croquet clasped his hands behind his back. With Master Pegasus he would never dream of telling him what he should or shouldn't do. But James was different. Croquet had practically raised James himself, because Pegasus sure as hell wasn't going to! In some ways, James was more his son than Pegasus'. Not that he would ever say that out loud, of course. Instead, he reached for one of the face-down frames on the desk. “Did you see this picture?”

It was a wanted poster from the Kanto region. A wanted poster that featured very bad photos of himself and Jessie. You couldn't even see their faces! Not really. Jessie had her hand outstretched, fingers splayed, and that was what was in focus on her shot. On James' you could clearly read the R on his chest, and he was holding one of his trademark roses, but his face was completely in shadow. There was absolutely no way for a person to tell the wanted poster was of himself and his partner unless you already knew it was of him and his partner. 

There was also absolutely no reason for Maximilian Pegasus to have it on his desk. 

“I did.” James turned his attention back to his cards. “What's you're point?”

“This is the only recent picture Master Pegasus had of you.” Croquet explained. 

James did not seem impressed. He gathered up all the cards he'd selected for his deck and shuffled. Then shuffled again just for good measure. Standing from the desk, James brushed past Croquet, heading for the door. Breakfast sounded pretty good right about now. It wasn't like he ate much yesterday. 

Croquet grabbed him by the shoulder. “Did you at least look in the diary?”

But the younger man pulled out of his grip. “What does it matter? That man never had anything nice to say to me in life. Why should I give him any of my time in death?”

“There's something for you in it.” Croquet told him. 

“A multiple page length lecture on how worthless I am?” James suggested. “All things considered, I'd really rather not read it. Thanks.” Instead, he changed the subject. “I assume the Duels will be held at I2. I'm gonna get something to eat and make sure all our pokemon are fed. Then Jessie and I will want to head over there immediately. Make sure the car's ready.”

Gritting his teeth in irritation at not being listened to, the older man nodded. Adopting the same voice he used when dealing with the younger man's father. “Yes, Master James.”

James nodded and left the study. 

The moment he was out of the sight, Croquet went looking for Pegasus' diary. Not-Jessebelle had it with her when they arrived at the manor, but none of them seemed to be carrying it when they came down from the attic. So it had to still be up there. Sure enough, Croquet found it laying out in plain sight, casually abandoned on top of a trunk of Cecelia's. He scooped it up and climbed back out of the attic. 

Leafing through the pages as he walked, Croquet found what he was looking for. A unique, one of a kind, only one in existence trading card. 

Cecelia's card. 

He slipped it in his breast-pocket right behind his sunglasses. Master James didn't know it yet, but he would need that card. 

The diary he deposited on the bedside table in James' room. He could choose to read it, or not read it as he pleased, but it would not stay forgotten in the attic. James would see it. James would confront it. 

That done, he went to get the car. 

…

At the corporate gaming titan that produced the internationally popular card game Duel Monsters, of course Industrial Illusions had the best gaming arenas around. Second, maybe, only to those at Kaiba Corp and that dragon/Duel Monster themed amusement park (also owned by Kaiba Corp) in Domino region. The child billionaire, and owner/CEO of Kaiba Corp seemed more obsessed with the game than its own creator. One would think he'd been playing it his whole life. But, Depre, Yako, Gekko, and Richie weren't going to fly all the way to Dominio just to borrow Kaiba's dueling arenas when they had their own right around the corner at the family business. 

In all honesty, they could have just conducted the duels in somebody's living room with their duel disks, or even just a normal and mundane game mat. But this was supposed to be official. Presided over by Pegasus' attorney and witness by the company, so to Industrial Illusions they went. 

A private area was cordoned off and reserved. Folding chairs had been brought in for the spectators. At the moment, that included pretty much just the attorney, Hair Guy, and Mullet Guy. But every now and again, an administrative assistant, advertising director, or imagineer on their break would wander in, curious. Realize they hadn't started yet, and wander back out to make sure they at least looked like they were working and not just waiting for the game to decide the fate of the company -and by extension, their jobs- to start. 

Everyone noted the distinctive lack of James' presence. Looks like his declaration of having no intension of taking part was, in fact, true. The man wanted nothing to do with the family business. That was fine by them. It made things easier. 

In more ways than one. 

“There's four of us.” Yako announced. “Lets just do this tournament-style.” 

“That seems best.” Agreed the attorney. “We can get this over with and I'll be back in my office by lunch.” He pause to study the brothers, trying to decide how best to structure the tiers -tier?- there would be only one round before the Championship Match in this 'tournament'. “Gekko versus Richie, then-”

But before he could finish announcing the order, the arena lights suddenly went dark. 

Hair Guy and Mullet Guy jumped out of their chairs, fingers at the ready, prepared to defend their employers -their employer's heirs?- at the drop of a pin. The attorney cowered in the dark between the two body guards, while all four of Pegasus' adopted sons looked around, their eyes searching the darkness, seeking the source of the power outage. 

Then, from up in the rafters, a catwalk access one would have to be an actual cat to fit on, a spotlight was flicked on. 

It illuminated a single human figure, his back to them. Rose petals filled the air, raining down from the rafters and carried on air currents from the ventilation system that had been turned up. 

“Prepare for trouble, I've shuffled my deck!” 

The figure in the spotlight turned around to glare a challenge at them, and everyone was shocked to see that it was James. He wasn't wearing his R-uniform anymore. Instead, he was wearing utilitarian black dress-shoes, under white slacks. A black button down shirt with a starched collar, and black gloves. Thrown over it was a red jacket that looked like it was supposed to be a blazer, but was cut much too short. It left his pokemon Trainer belt and the lower part of his shirt exposed, very similar to the style of over-shirt from his R-uniform. 

“It's not really my thing, but what the heck.”

They all just stared at him in shock. So, he decided to come after all -and he just had to make an obnoxiously over-the-top, flamboyant entrance, complete with roses, spotlight, poses, and rhymes. 

Well, he was Pegasus' actual son, after all. 

“You all thought you were rid of me yesterday.” James continued. “But I've come back to make you pay! All those years you made me your fool. This is my revenge, its TIME TO DUEL!”

Unimpressed, Yako tiptoed around the dark room to the electrical box and switched the lights back on. “You done?”

In the light, they saw both Croquet and James' woman -what did she say her name was? Jessie?- they saw Croquet and Jessie with baskets of fresh rose petals. Each one, taking a handful and throwing them in front of the air vents to be blown around the room. They each stopped the moment they made eye-contact with one of the spectators. The illusion was gone, there was no point in continuing. Down from that impossibly tight catwalk, jumped the cat-like monster from the other day. It landed on its feet and glared up at Yako.

“Meow! What's the big idea?”

“Yako.” James growled at his adopted brother. “Why do you always have to ruin everything?”

“You're the one who's ruining things!” Yako snapped back without even a moment's pause. “We -literally- just decided how we're gonna do this. It was gonna be quick, and easy, and over by lunch time. Then you had to parachute in with your poses and your rhymes, and literally steal the spotlight like on an episode of Glee!”

“I love Glee.” Gekko muttered from where he stood between Richie and Depre. (Everyone ignored him.)

“What are you even doing here, Jaime?” Continued Yako. “I thought you hated the company. I thought you hated Duel Monsters. Do you even have a deck? Do you even remember how to play? What do you think you can do besides embarrass yourself? You had it right yesterday. You don't belong here, and no one wants you here. You should just turn around and go back to the monster regions. Roll around with that cat-thing. In the dirt where you belong.”

James glared at his adopted brother. Emerald eyes blazing with a loathing so strong it went beyond mere hatred. It was a feeling with a life of its own. Something that couldn't be expressed in words, but was so strong it could be felt through the air. A tension that caused a tightness in the chest that even those watching could feel. Depre might have been the one to beat him up when they were children, but of all his adopted brothers, Yako was the one James hated the most. 

For a moment, Jessie legitimately wondered if her partner was going to throw caution, and his suave composure, to the wind and sock his brother in the face. 

Instead, James turned his attention to the attorney -whom had his handkerchief back out and was once again dabbing at nervous sweat on his forehead just like at the will reading from the previous day. “My father listed me as one of the duelists. You can't bar me from competing. Tell this ingrate to get off his high horse, shuffle his deck, let his cards do the talking, and comb that birds' nest he calls hair!”

Without taking his eyes off of James, Yako commanded the attorney. “Tell this irritating little prima donna pissant that he forfeit his right to compete yesterday when he stormed out and left us, just like he did fifteen years ago. And before he stars making comments about other people's hair, he should try adding a little lift to his own!”

“Um...” The poor lawyer dabbed at his sweat. 

“Tell Yako to shut the hell up! He doesn't get to dictate father's will! And he can lecture me about my style once he gets a little of his own! What's with that jacket? Really? Its not 1985, Yako, and this isn't Miami Vice!” James sneered.

“Tell Jaime that if he expected to get more than an old book, he should have stayed home and tried to be a part of the family!” Yako shouted. “You say I look like Miami Vice, well at least that makes me a grown-up. You look like you just walked out of a game aimed at children!”

“Oh. You mean like this card game we're about to play!”

Yako focused his glare on the lawyer. “Tell this pissant to shut the hell up!”

“Um...” The handkerchief was soaking now. 

“No, tell Yako he's the one who needs to shut the heck up!”

“Who are you more afraid of? Him or me?” Yako demanded. 

“Um...” The poor attorney rung out his handkerchief. Then dabbed nervously at his head again. He fiddled with the cloth between his hands, not making eye-contact with either brother. He tried not to get sidetracked by their squabble and stay on the topic of the inheritance duels. “There is some room for interpretation within Master Pegasus' will.” He admitted. “But there were no instructions for excluding someone whom was already named as a Duelist. So long as the transfer of ownership of the company has not been finalized, Master James is free to change his mind and participate in the Duels.”

“Unbelievable!” Yako threw his arms up in dismay. 

“But he never even wanted the company before!” Richie reminded everyone. Then, addressing James directly, “What changed?”

James smirked at the taller man. “Nothing's changed. I still don't want the company.” He crossed his arms over his chest, holding one of his roses delicately against his lips. “I just don't want any of you to have it even more.”

Richie grit his teeth at that admission. Glaring daggers at his adopted brother. Trying really, really hard not to say something inappropriate for a developer of children's games. “Wh-why you...! That's just evil, Jim! You're a villain!”

That smirk only widened and he threw his rose at Richie's feet. “Oh, if you only knew...”

“Quit it with the faggoty roses, you fucking fruit-cake!” Depre shouted at him. He stomped on the rose that had fallen in front of Richie as if it was something dirty and offensive. “You can't just barge in here, put on a show, and steal father's legacy out from under us -and think that we'll just let you!” He cracked his knuckles. “Out of respect for father's memory, I didn't hit you yesterday. I think I'll beat your ass double today to make up for it.”

Pulling another rose from seemingly out of nowhere, James offered his brother an appraising look. “Ya know, Depre, I never really realized when we were kids, for someone who claims to hate the gays so much, you sure are eager to pound other men.” 

Off to the side, Jessie snorted into her hand. 

“Fucking fight me, faggot!” Depre practically screamed. 

“Oh, I will.” James promised him. He reached a hand down to his Trainer belt where he had added a deck case. From it he pulled the stack of cards he'd carefully composed that morning. “With this.”

“You can't play with us!” Yako roared. 

“But there's nothing that says he can't.” The lawyer seemed on the verge of tears. 

“We have an uneven number.” Richie pointed out, trying to remain calm, not let his emotions get the better of him like his brothers, and be the voice of reason. “We can't have a tournament with an uneven number.”

“Even if we did have an even number!” Yako continued to shout. He was well and hysterical, one eye swollen in a way that just did not look healthy. Like the socket had expanded and was pressing on the rest of his face. It made him look almost deranged. “I refuse to accept him as father's heir unless he can beat all four of us!” 

Yako paused for breath. Panting hard as if he'd just run a mile. But all he did was stand there and argue with his adopted brother. 

There was a beat of silence. 

Then, “Alright.”

“Huh?” All eyes in the room turned to look at James. 

The roses were gone from his hands. Now he held only his Duel Monsters deck. “Alright.” He repeated. “I'll duel you. I'll duel all four of you. One-on-one. Instead of having a tournament, it'll just be me versus all of you. If I win, I get father's empire. If I lose, fine. I lost. I'll go back to the monster regions and the rest of you can have the proper tournament you originally planned.” 

Yako glared at him, eyes burning with just as much abject loathing as James felt for him. “If you think any one of us is going to duel with you-”

“I'll do it.” Gekko raised his hand, shocking everyone else in the room. He lowered the hand slowly, suddenly feeling insecure at all the stares he was getting. “I mean, father obviously wanted Jaime to participate, that's why he named him in the will even though he hasn't been home in fifteen years. He wanted Jaime to have the option to inherit, even if he might not want it. Out of respect for Father's memory we should honor his desire to give James a chance. So... I'll duel him...”

He trailed off meekly as he realized that all his brothers were glaring at him. 

James shrugged. “Sure. Make me play against the Perfect Duelist right out the gate. Should be interesting.”

Now Gekko was really unsure. Everyone called him the 'Perfect Duelist', because when they were children he was usually the one who won most of their duels. Master Pegasus was the one to give him the title originally. Playing against other children, he had the perfect technique. But what everyone failed to realize was that something that was 'perfect' was also stagnant. It wouldn't advance. Something that was 'perfect' couldn't be improved. Pegasus called Gekko perfect because he'd already reached his peak as a Duelist when he was a child -and Gekko hadn't improved since. The title of 'Perfect Duelist' might sound intimidating, but in reality, Gekko knew he was probably the weakest player of all his brothers -possibly James included. 

He wasn't about to tell anyone else that, of course!

Especially not right now. He could read the room. 

“Hmph.” Yako grinned. Of the two of them, Gekko always was the better Duelist. He would crush James easily. This absurd little farce would be over, he'd go back to shoving monsters in his pockets, and they could get back to running a company. Suddenly, Yako liked the idea. “You'll lose immediately and this absurd little scene you're making will be over. Alright, lets do it! If Jamie wins, the rest of us will have a go at him. But when he loses, he leaves forever and we never have to see his face again!”

“Nothing would make me happier than never seeing your faces again.” James agreed. 

The attorney breathed a sigh of relief at all five heirs finally reaching an agreement. He wiped his palms on his handkerchief. “May I inspect your decks for any counterfeit or banned cards, please.”

“Banned cards?” James blinked. It had been years since he was up-to-date on the Duel Monster mandates. There certainly weren't any banned cards when he left home. Instead of banning cards, would the company just stop making them? That seemed like the obvious solution -of course, that wouldn't do anything about the ones already in circulation. He handed his deck to the attorney.

The older man flipped through James' cards. The fifteen in his Extra deck and the forty of his Main deck. The lawyer only took out two cards. “Unfortunately, the use of both Monster Reborn and Mirror Force are now illegal in official duels. Other than that, your deck is fine. Gekko, may I see your deck now?”

“I know the drill.” 

The attorney handed James his deck back and took Gekko's to examine. 

James looked at the cards that were taken out for a moment, wondering what to do with them now. What did you do with banned cards? Just throw them away?

Croquet came up beside him. “I can hold onto those for you, Master James.” 

“Uh, sure.” 

When James passed him the banned cards, Croquet slipped Cecelia's card into his deck. Maybe he wouldn't use it in his match against Gekko. Maybe it wouldn't even come up in his hand after the shuffle and cut. But, eventually, James would need that card. Especially if he had to beat all four of his brothers. 

Gekko took his cards back from the lawyer after they were also deemed perfectly legal for use in official Duels. 

“Shall we have our opponents cut our decks?” He asked, now holding the cards out to James. “As a sign of trust.”

Lowering his eyes with a nostalgic smirk, James traded decks with Gekko. “Geki, still practically perfect in every way.”

They cut each other's decks. Splitting the stacks and placing the bottom half on top. Then they traded back.

“Please take you positions in the area.” The attorney commanded. 

They each took up positions on opposite ends of the arena.

“IT'S TIME TO DUEL!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	5. Chapter 5

Yugi's phone beeped with a text alert and he reached into his pocket. Apparently, Kaiba had sent him an image. He didn't even know how Seto Kaiba even got his number. But then, by this point, Yugi had just stopped asking. It was probably on his Duelist info from the Battle City Tournament. 

The image was of a stack of brand new Duel Monster cards. By the looks of the stack, almost a full deck. Making a face of disapproval that Yugi was not going to call a 'pout' he typed out a quick reply to Kaiba's text. 

'STOP SENIDNG ME UNSOLICITED DECK PICKS! Its starting to get creepy!'

He was about to put the phone back in his pocket when Kaiba's reply pinged back. 'Duel me!'

Yugi sighed and slipped the phone back in his pocket without replying. He turned his attention back to the reason they had all gathered at Burger World in the first place -ya know, aside from the fact that hanging out on the weekends was normal things for kids in high school to do. 

After the excitement of Battle City had subsided, that weird side-adventure on Kaiba's private island was over -yeah... they were still trying to figure that one out- life settled back into some version of normalcy. Except, 'normalcy' basically meant 'what it was like before Battle City. And before Battle City was Duelist Kingdom, where Maximilian Pegasus disappeared. Or passed away. Yeah... they were still trying to figure that one out too. Lots of weird stuff just sort of seemed to happen around them and their card games. One might even start to wonder if the game was cursed -or something. 

Before Pegasus' death-disappearance the multi-trillionaire tycoon was going to produce a game of Duke's design. A table top game that utilized dice as both roll system and avatar pieces, Dungeon Dice Monsters. But production of the game had been pushed back because of Pegasus' deathappearance, and pushed back again as the company was sent spiraling into a state of flux, unsure who would take the reigns as owner and CEO of the international gaming titan. All the constant set-backs and delays had finally managed to work Duke up into a state of anxiety that even the threat of nearly falling off a blimp plummeting to his death couldn't top. If his game wasn't being produced, then he wasn't getting any royalties. No royalties meant no means of supporting himself. 

Falling off Kaiba's blimp and plummeting to his death would have been a kindness. The dead didn't pay bills. 

“Chin up, Duke.” Bakura rubbed circles over his back. “I'm picking up the check for this luncheon, so you don't have to worry about a thing.”

Duke Devlin only blinked at him. “Thanks, but... who are you again?”

“Nye... Yeah, who invited the Limey to this thing, anyway?” Joey asked, blinking equally at their white-haired classmate. 

Téa grabbed Joey by the ear. “Shut-up!” She hissed at him. “Bakura's paying for this meal. If we're nice to him, we can order whatever we want and he'll pick up the tab.”

“Who's Bakura?” Tristan asked blankly. 

Poor Bakura just slumped his shoulders with a sigh, eyes looking down at the table. “You know, you so called 'mates' are the reason I go to therapy.” 

Well, that, and the fact that he suffered from periodical blackouts, sometimes that lasted days at a time. The most recent one lasted the entirety of the Battle City Tournament. Bakura didn't know what happened. He just woke up one day and had missed a whole week of his life. 

Everyone laughed. All together. In perfect harmony, too. As if they'd rehearsed it and done multiple takes. 

Yugi's phone beeped with another picture text from Kaiba. This time it was of a new duel disk. 'Don't you wanna play with this?' Then a second text. 'Send newds'. Then a third text. 'Fuck autocorrect! Send pics of your new deck! With the God Cards'

Looking up at everyone else at the table, Yugi raised an eyebrow and slid his phone across the table so everyone could see it. “Does anyone else think Kaiba's gotten weird since we came back from Battle City?”

Everyone leaned over the table to peer at the LED screen of Yugi's phone. 

“Nye.” Joey shuddered. “Why does it sound like Kaiba's soliciting you for sex? Nye...”

“I'm sure its just because Kaiba doesn't know how to talk to his friends.” Téa suggested. She had no great love for Seto Kaiba, but since Battle City, he had sort of become a kind of unofficial member of their group. In short, he was one of their friends, and Téa would always defend her friends. “I mean, do we even know if he's had any friends before?”

“That's right! Nye!” Joey agreed. “Kaiba's such a grumpy stick-in-the-mud, he doesn't even have any friends!”

Téa paused to look at him like he was stupid. “Joey, we're Kaiba's friends.”

“We are!?” His shock was enough to send Joey catapulting out of the booth. “Since when?”

Téa only sighed. 

Duke looked at the texts, then slid the phone back across the table to Yugi. “Hey, Kaiba's got private jets, and blimps and stuff, right? Tell him that you'll duel him if he gives us a ride to the Sanfran region.”

Everyone at the table turned their attention back to Duke. He was the one they were originally here for, after all. 

“Why would you wanna go all the way to Sanfran?” Asked Tristan.

“That's where the main corporate office of Industrial Illusions is located.” Bakura supplied, happy that he could offer his friends an explanation. If Duke was worried about his game's production schedule being constantly pushed back, then it made sense he'd want to go to the company's main office to personally inquire about its status and if he could ever expect a pay out on his intellectual property. Bakura smiled. He was being helpful!

But everyone at the table was ignoring him. 

“I mean... A duel with Kaiba wouldn't really be a duel.” Yugi was saying. “I'm the King of Games and I've got three God Cards. He's just got his three Blue-Eyes and an attitude problem. It wouldn't be a duel so much as a slaughter. It just wouldn't be fair.”

“Yugi, I need to get to Sanfran City in the Sanfran region and learn whats going on with the company that's supposed to be producing my game!” Duke slammed both his palms down in the table with an uncharacteristically assertive BAM, rattling their soda cups. “If you won't help me, then I'll just kidnap Mokuba and ransom him to Kaiba for a ride to Sanfran.”

Everyone stared at him. 

“What? Mokuba gets kidnapped all the time. There's probably a column for it in the corporate budget book by now.” They did not look any less concerned, so Duke explained. “I would offer him trade with my body instead, but I don't actually think Kaiba knows what his dick is for.”

Nobody replied in words, but everyone at the table made some version of a an exhaling noise of agreement. Sometimes it seemed like Seto Kaiba was only interested in three things in this world and none of them had anything to do with what Duke Devlin's character usually implied to offer. Kaiba was more interested in card games, money, and dragons than he could be in sex. 

“Alright!” Yugi groaned, eyes pinched shut as if that could rid him of the mental image Duke had just invoked. “If it'll stop you from talking about Kaiba's dick, I'll duel him in exchange for a ride to the Industrial Illusions main headquarters!”

Clasping both his hands together, Duke bowed his head at the King of Games. “I will be eternally grateful!”

…

As Yugi predicted, his duel with Kaiba was a slaughter. 

Ever if Kaiba did manage to summon all three Blue-Eyes White dragons and play his Polymerization card to preform a Fusion Summon for his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, all in one turn. No one called him on it. It was Seto Kaiba. Screw the rules, they were used to this shit. 

Then Yugi summoned all three God Cards in one turn and the duel was over. 

Kaiba sat on the floor, on his knees, staring at his dragon cards in his hands and making sound that no one was going to call 'crying'. 

“Can you just take us to the Sanfran region now.” Yugi asked. 

Gritting his teeth, Kaiba glared at Yugi, cobalt blue eyes peering through a canopy choppy, uneven bangs. He growled at the King of Games.

But, somehow, everyone found themselves sitting in absurdly luxurious seats on his private jet, and bound for the Sanfran region and Industrial Illusions complex. These Geeks might -technically- be the closest thing the eccentric child billionaire had to 'friends', and Yugi might have -technically- won the duel with a ride to Sanfran as the stakes. But neither of those were the reason why he agreed so easily. Seto Kaiba also wanted to know what fate had in store for the company that made his favorite card game. He was personally invested in it. 

“I say, this is rather exciting!” Bakura smiled at all of them from his isle seat. 

“You're still here?” Téa blinked at him. 

“Did anyone remember to call your parents and let them know you're just taking off?” Mokuba asked. That was a normal thing that non-orphans whom actually had parents were supposed to do right? Call them when you decided to fly out of the region unexpectedly. 

But one answered.

In his own head, Yugi hear the voice of the Pharaoh add, 'Don't you have school tomorrow, too?'

But like everyone ignored Mokuba's question about parents, Yugi ignored his Yami-half's question about school. School didn't have anything to do with card games. Make a school that exclusively taught Duel Monsters and -maybe- he'd be interested. 

…

They expected some resistance once they reached the Industrial Illusions complex. Kaiba had certainly dressed for a fight -and by 'fight' he meant 'duel'- in his trademark long white coat with useless belts on the sleeves and weird stiff fabric spikes around the waist that -from certain angles- looked like he was poppin' a stiffy. 

But the most hostility they received was a tired looking parking attendant telling them they couldn't land their plane on the building's front lawn. They had to use the hilo-pad just like everyone else. Kaiba got into it with the parking attendant, but it was a confrontation that couldn't be solved by playing a children's card game, or screwing the rules because he had money. This wasn't his company and the people who's company it was had money too. Finally, nursing his second lost battle that day, Kaiba moved his plane. 

Once that was over with, Kaiba stormed through the Industrial Illusions lobby, his white coat swishing behind him with dramatic flair, and demanded to know who the hell was in charge of this shit-show they called a business. 

The receptionists at the front desk all gave him well practiced and perfectly executed pleasant smiles. The kind that even the best Hollywood blockbuster actors wish to one day be able to pull off. These were professionals that dealt with ego and entitlement on a daily basis. The names and faces may change, but the attitudes were all the same. Seto Kaiba raging in like a prima donna was nothing new. 

“Anyone is free to observe the duels between the late Mr. Pegasus' heirs.” One of them finally informed him, once Kaiba was done spewing a string of expletives that would have made even HBO executives blush with modesty, and 4Kids executives would have died of shame. 

“Duels?” Kaiba hit the pause button on his rage at that single word. Obviously, 'duels' didn't have to refer to card games. For all anyone knew, Pegasus' heirs could be trying to kill each other with swords or pistols. But this was the company that invented Duel Monsters, and there seemed to be a precedent for hinging important, life-altering consequences, and/or the fate of the world on the game. It was a perfectly reasonable conclusion to jump to that they were playing card games somewhere in this complex. 

The receptionist nodded at the whole group, that smile of her shifting from well practice to legitimately helpful. “As per the terms of the late Mr. Pegasus' will, the company will go to the winner of the duels.”

“Oo~h, I hope its Yako!” Another receptionist chimed in. “He's so~o hansom!” 

“Yeah, but Gekko is nicer.” The third reminded her. “He brings us coffee in the mornings and he's got the exact same face as Yako.”

“Yeah, but Yako is broody! That makes him mysterious!” 

The first receptionist, the one talking to Kaiba tried her best to ignore the other two.

“Of course, Richie's tall...” the second continued “...that also makes him pretty attractive. Oh! But Depre always comes in with his shirts barely buttoned, and he's pretty easy on the eyes too!”

Suppressing the urge to snarl -it wasn't very professional- the first receptionist focused all her attention on Kaiba and his entourage. “If you like, I can take you to the dueling arena personally. May I have your names to enter into the guest log?”

“Seto Kaiba of Kaiba Corp.” He growled, already planning to head back to his plane and grab his case of trading cards the moment the receptionist showed him where the duels were taking place. If he could take control of Industrial Illusions then he would own Duel Monsters! The game would literally be all his. He would be the master of cards!

“Ya know who I don't know much about?” The third was saying, still deep in his conversation with Number Two. “James. I didn't even know Mr. Pegasus had a fifth son until he showed up this morning.”

“James looks so much like Mr. Pegasus! Its eery.” Number Two chimed. 

“Alright, Mr. Kaiba, and how many in your party total?” Asked the first receptionist, determined to stay on task. She eyed the group of teenagers with him, counting heads.

“Seven.” He answered.

The receptionist scanned the group with her eyes one more time. “Okay, which one is not with you?”

“What?” He wheeled around, similarly scanning the Geek Squad gathered behind him. 

There was Mokuba, of course he would not let his little brother out of his sight. He had been kidnapped enough as it was already. Then Duke Devlin, it made sense for him to be here since Industrial Illusions was producing a game of his own design -a bastardized version of Duel Monsters that used dice instead of cards. Then there was Yugi and his entourage. Joey, his idiot friend. Their groupy, Téa. The token moron and obligatory spectator, Tristan. And... He zeroed in on the one person who never seemed important enough -or annoying enough- for him to learn their name. 

Poor Bakura legitimately looked like he was about to cry. “Why do you all keep forgetting about me!?”

Rolling his eyes in frustration, Kaiba turned back to the receptionist. “Fine. Eight, then. Can we just move on with this?”

“I heard James is a pokemon trainer and spent most of his life in the monster regions.” The other two receptionists were still engrossed in their conversation about Pegasus' heirs. 

“So he spends all his time with weird animals? Gross.” Said Number Two. 

The first receptionist finished typing on her computer and pulled out eight visitor badges with microchips that would offer them access to the dueling arenas, building canteen, and other Level-2 security and below areas. “Alright, Mr. Kaiba, if you could distribute these to your party, we can get going!”

She walked out from behind the reception desk to lead them to the dueling arena. 

As they were walking away, the other two receptionists continued their argument. “How can you not think a pokemon trainer is super-special awesome? He's like a lion tamer, except in addition to sharp teeth and claws, the lion also flies and shoots fire out of its mouth!”

Kaiba rolled his eyes. Training pokemon couldn't possibly be as exciting as card games. 

They were lead through the complex to a shorter building set apart from the main offices tower. Inside was a utilitarian dueling arena with a wide holo field between the two duelist sides. Both sides were currently occupied by duelists, ready to face off. 

One, he recognized as the vice President of the Domino region division of Industrial Illusions or, if not him than his twin. Truth be told, Kaiba didn't actually know which was witch, they looked the same after all. The other, the eccentric child billionaire had never seen before. But he guessed it must be the 'James' the others were talking about. He did look eerily like Pegasus with that hair and in that jacket. The hair was the wrong color, but the cut was almost the same. The jacket was the wrong cut, but the colors were exactly the same. 

It looked like Kaiba had arrived just in time. They hadn't started yet. 

“I demand to compete!” He bellowed, startling everyone in the room. 

“And who are you?” Asked the one he was going to conclude was 'James' until told otherwise. 

Kaiba grit his teeth and tried not to utter an inappropriate expletive. How could this guy not know who he was? He was Seto freakin' Kaiba! Then again, he had to remind himself, if he understood the other receptionists correctly, then this guy had spent the past few years in the monster regions. Kaiba Corp didn't have as much influence in those areas. Their economy was mostly controlled by Silph Co. Well, if James Pegasus didn't know who he was, then he would have to fill him in!

“I'm Seto Kaiba, owner and CEO of Kaiba Corp!” He announced, setting his feet as if he were readying for a fight, throwing one arm out dramatically, and causing the absurd coat to flair behind him like a regal cape. If one didn't know any better, one might think he was auditioning for a cameo on Game of Thrones. “I'm a top-tier ranked Duel Monsters champion. I developed my own dueling tech-” he held up his arm so that everyone could clearly see he was wearing a duel disk “-and if the ownership of Industrial Illusions is to be decided by duel, then I want in!”

There was a beat of silence in which everyone just stared at him. 

Behind his still dramatically flared coat, Yugi and his entourage all shard a single moment of embarrassment on Kaiba's behalf -since he obviously didn't feel any! They couldn't even imagine what it must be like to live every day with his level of reckless self-confidence. It wasn't blind pride that drove Seto Kaiba, it was an honest-to-goodness belief that he couldn't fail. Not even the spirit of the Pharaoh that dwelled within Yugi's puzzle could claim that level of unwavering self-esteem. Kaiba was like a force of nature. 

Mokuba clapped his hands excitedly. “Yeah! Big brother, you tell 'em!”

James Pegasus only blinked with the recognition of finally being able to put a face to a name. “Ah, so you're Kaiba-boy!”

The guy even talked like Pegasus! 

“Don't call me 'Kaiba-boy'.” He snarled back. It felt like all his achievements, and all his greatness, his skill and prowess as a Duelist, and his importance as one of Pegasus' rivals was all invalidated and dismissed by that single, demeaning nickname. 

A man with a balding forehead that was shiny from stress-sweat walked up to Kaiba. “Unfortunately, the only ones allowed to compete for the company are the late Mr. Pegasus' sons.”

“What?” Kaiba looked back at those gathered. 

James and one of the twins were already ready to duel. Gathered to watch them, Kaiba noted the other twin, something-or-other Scott (Seto Kaiba never bothered to remember the names of people who weren't important), and the one who looked like Silver the Hedgehog (his name escaped Kaiba completely). The rest of the people in the room all seemed to be spectators, or witnesses, or just hired lackey's. In addition to Pegasus' lawyer, Kaiba recognized Croquet, Hair Guy, and Mullet Guy -all of whom were present at Duelist Kingdom. Also in attendance was a woman with a long curving swoop of red hair, holding some sort of deformed cat -presumably one of the pokemon from the monster regions. 

Everything seemed all squared away and ready to go. Except for one problem that Kaiba noticed immediately. “Pegasus only has five sons.” He pointed out. “That's an uneven number. You can't have a tournament with an uneven number!”

“Nobody said anything about a tournament.” Something-or-other Scott crossed his arms over his chest.

“We've already worked everything out, Kaiba.” The other twin informed him. By his haughty attitude and the imperious way he looked down his nose at everyone else, Kaiba concluded that he was actually the vice President of the Domino division of Industrial Illusions -Yako Tenma. Which would mean that the one getting ready to duel James was the unimportant twin -Gekko.

“Are we seriously having this conversation again?” Asked Silver the Hedgehog -whatever his name actually was. “Sit down, Kaiba. You can watch, but you can't compete. 

Kaiba opened his mouth to protest. Where the hell did they get off? Telling him what to do! How dare they try and exclude him from a Duel Monsters tournament on which hinged the fate of a multi-national gaming corporation. He might not have been the one to produce the game, but Duel Monsters was his! Although Seto Kaiba was not the type to believe in sentimental non-sense like 'destiny' the game played such a central role in his life that it was perfectly reasonable to say that his destiny was tied to those cards (in a purely metaphorical sense, of course). Kaiba wanted the company that made them. He opened his mouth to continue the argument. 

But before another aggressive word could escape him, he felt a pacifying hand on his arm. Turning, Kaiba saw Yugi holding him back, his violet eyes halfway between pleading and sympathetic. “Remember: we're originally here for Duke.” He reminded the other boy. “So that he could figure out what's happening with his game. Lets just sit and watch and maybe you could offer to buy the company from the winner.”

After all, Kaiba did have more money that God. 

Assuming that whoever won was willing to sell. Kaiba already knew that Yako Tenma would never sell to him, and the unimportant twin did whatever his brother told him. Scott and the Hedgehog probably wouldn't either. Instead of selling the company they were more likely to break it up into pieces and give each one to a brother to run independently from the others. But, James Pegasus... Kaiba didn't even know enough about him to hazard a guess. 

Did he want to take a gamble on a twenty percent chance that he'd get what he wanted? 

Less than twenty percent when one considered that there was no guarantee that James would even sell to him either. 

But Yugi was giving him that goddamned good natured stare. The one that heralded a speech about trust, friendship, and the Heart of the Cards. As much as he wanted control of Industrial Illusions, he wanted to not have to sit through one of those absurd geeky speeches even more. So, even though it went against every single instinct of his very being, Kaiba grit his teeth, grabbed one of the folding chairs, and sat down with his arms crossed over his chest. 

Always taking his cues from his big brother, Mokuba took up the chair next to him. 

Duke was the next to sit down. He wanted to know the fate of the company, and by extension his Dungeon Dice Monsters game. 

Everyone else took up their own seats. 

“Heh. Looks like Kaiba was adopted by the wrong evil eccentric billionaire, nye.” Joey scoffed under his breath. 

Kaiba shot back to his feet, ready to go off on Wheeler for his impudence and disrespect. How dare he! But Yugi's groupy, Téa, beat him to it. She smacked Joey on the back of the head and launched into on of her most deadly Friendship Speeches yet. Kaiba was glad he wasn't on the receiving end of it. He didn't much care for the presumption that the Geek Squad thought they were his friends, but at least Wheeler was put back in his place. 

“Anyone else wanna chime in with a distraction?” Yako demanded. 

The room was silent. 

Eyes flicked quickly to the door. 

It was closed and did not appear to be opening any time soon. 

Everyone turned their attention back to the arena.

“No? Okay, good.” Yako snarled and sat back down.

Gekko turned his attention back to his opponent, eyes fixed on James, as if the two of them were the only people in the room. The others faded to the background. It was just him, and James, their cards, and the area. Nothing else existed. “IT'S TIME TO DUEL!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	6. Chapter 6

“Since you haven't played this game in years, I'm gonna let you go first, Jaime.” Gekko informed him. 

James glared across the field at his adopted brother. He was weary of going first because it meant he would be laying down cards blindly without know what his opponent had. While Gekko, taking his turn second could play off the cards James had already laid on the field. He looked at the five cards in his hand and selected the only monster he'd managed to draw. The projectors gave a little chime and its attack and defense points appeared in a little blue box next to the monster. 

James played his 'Naturia Strawberry' in attack mode without saying anything. Its hologram appeared in the area's projection field. An adorable over-sized strawberry with a smiling face, held up by thin little leaf-like legs, and swinging equally thin leaf-like arms happily. As if skipping through a meadow. Of hopping from leaf to leaf.

Naturia Strawberry  
ATK/1600, DEF/1200

“Oh, how cute!” Téa commented. She had a special fondness for the cute-looking, sweet cards. Love, friendship, kindness, respecting people and nature. It was all Téa's cup of tea. 

“What is that?” Gekko stared at the monster on the field. “You're supposed to announce what you're doing as you play your cards, Jaime! Say the name of the card and how you're playing it.”

With a sigh of frustration, James growled, “I played my Naturia Strawberry in attack mode.” 

He then played one face-down trap card, 'Wall of Thorns', and one face down spell card, 'Barkion's Bark'. Then he pulled a fourth card from his hand and laid it down face-up. 

“And I play two face-down cards, plus a spell card, Finite Cards, which limits the number of cards we can hold in our hands. Its a continuous effect spell, so as long as this card's on the field we can each only have three cards -discard two of your cards right now, Geki! How's that for announcing what I'm doing?”

The card limit didn't matter to James this turn since he'd already played most of his hand anyway. 

But Gekko, whom still hadn't gone, was forced to discard two cards from his hand before his turn even began. Whatever strategy he intended to play on his first turn was shot to heck now. James might not have played the game in years, but that didn't mean he'd forgotten how to play. After all, he grew up steeped in the game before leaving home. 

“What's going on?” Jessie asked. “Is James doing good?”

“Its always hard to tell during the first two turns.” Yugi informed her, offering Jessie an endearing smile, he was always ready to make new friends wherever he met them. After living so much of his life without friends, so much to the point of having to make a wish on a three-thousand year old magical item to get friends, Yugi was determined never to pass-up an opportunity to form connected. You could never have too many friends. “But, so far, it seems like James made a good move, since he doesn't know what kinds of cards Gekko had in his hand. Forcing him to get rid of two of them was clever.”

Of course, out of all the people in the room whom actually did understand this game, it had to be one of the Twerps that had just shown up who answered her. Not just one of the Twerps, but the Twerpiest looking Twerp of them all! It was just their luck! Leave the monster regions and their quest to capture that Brat's pikachu for the Boss, but they still weren't free from gaggles of children. They had just exchanged one Twerp and his companions for a different Twerp and different companions. 

Jessie barred her teeth in a facsimile of a smile. He did answer her question, at least. “James is very smart.”

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Gekko turned his attention back to the three cards he still hand in his hand and pulled one out, laying it down face-up on the field. 

“I play my Learning Elf in attack mode!” He announced just as a hologram of an elf-girl in a pleated mini-skirt, glasses, and a cape, and holding a large book appeared in the dueling arena. Like with the Naturia Strawberry, her attack and defense points were displayed in a blue box next to her. 

Learning Elf  
ATK/1400, DEF/1500

He looked at the other two cards in his hand. “And I equip her with my Neon Laser Blaster! Its effect increases my Elf's attack points by 500!”

That blue box next to the Learning Elf that displayed her attack and defense adjusted the number accordingly. Raising her attack from 1400 to 1900.

Learning Elf  
ATK/1900, DEF/1500

For some reason, this did not seem to intimidate James. But then, again, he was used to being beaten, poisoned, burned, and electrocuted by real monsters. So what was losing a little card game based hologram to someone who mocked Death on a daily basis? 

Refusing to be intimidated by his adopted brother's casual confidence, Gekko shouted at him from across the field. “And I'm going to have her attack your Strawberry!”

The Learning Elf slammed her over-sized book down on the absurdly cute Naturia monster's head. 

To everyone's surprise, both James' Strawberry and Gekko's Elf were completely destroyed instead. Both monsters were cleared from the field and neither player took any damage.

“WHAT!?”

James' cool demeanor cracked with a smirk. “Since you didn't know about my Naturia card, I guess you didn't know about its effect.” He explained smugly. “Whenever my opponent Normal or Special summons a monster, my Strawberry gains 100 attack points times the level of the monster that was summoned. Since your Elf was a Level 3 monster, that's 300 extra attack points!”

As this was explained, the blue box next to the monster displaying its attack and defense adjusted the numbers, displaying the correct changes. 

Naturia Strawberry  
ATK/1900, DEF/1200

Before disappearing because the Strawberry was gone. 

“That was stupid.” Kaiba commented. He sat with one leg hooked over the other, arms crossed, staring at the holographic field with a critical eye, almost as if trying to dissect their duel with his cold professionalism. 

“What was that!?” Yako, Gekko's twin demanded, almost jumping up out of his own seat. How dare that irritating Kaiba-boy insult his other half!? Kaiba wasn't even invited to this event. He just showed up, and with an irritating crowd of an entourage, filling the arena building with children nobody knew! Where did Kaiba get off calling his hosts 'stupid'? The nerve of that guy!

“The Naturia cards are relatively new.” Kaiba explained in a condescending tone that seemed to imply that anyone in the room whom actually played the game should know that and having to explain it was a grievous inconvenience to him. They should be getting down on their knees and thanking him for imparting his knowledge since they were clearly unworthy. “Its a deck composted primarily of plant, insect, and rock type monsters, and complementary spell and trap cards. But the monsters all have very strong effects. Its stupid to attack a Naturia card if you don't know its effect. You could end up destroying your own monster instead -like we just saw.”

For half a second Yako looked like he was about to say something very rude in response to Kaiba, but instead he turned his attention back to the field and his brother's Duel. “Be very carful, Gekko!”

Both monsters were destroyed. It was a draw. No Life Points were lost. 

The battle phase ended Gekko's turn, and since he had no monster on his side of the field, James was free to attack his Life Points directly. 

James pulled a card from the top of his deck, glad it was a Level 4 monster he could Normal summon without tributing anything. “I summon Naturia Guardian. In attack mode, obviously.” 

A new hologram materialized on James' side of the field. A big and ancient looking oak tree, with knots on the trunk that looked like the wrinkled and gnarled face of an old man. Thick, fat vines in shades of green and blue, and covered in thorns wrapped themselves around the base of its trunks, making their way up to the canopy of its branches. Sprouting out from those thorns were two taloned hands with long, needle-like fingers. 

Naturia Guardian  
ATK/1600, DEF/400

“What's this one's effect, Kaiba?” Bakura asked, excited and legitimately interests. But, as seemed to be the usual, Kaiba -and everyone else, for that matter- was ignoring him. 

James grinned across the field at his adopted brother. “And you already know what I'm gonna do with it, Geki. Naturia Guardian, ATTACK HIS LIFE POINTS DIRECTLY!”

There was a beautifully fluid and wonderfully programed animation of the arms of the tree lashing out like a grass-type's Vine Whip, aimed at the counter displaying Gekko's Life Points. 

As the sound of his life points decreasing echoed through the building, Gekko leaned back as if trying to dodge the attack. One hand shielding his eyes as if there was real physical danger from the tree hologram. The other arm thrust out in front of him as if he were trying to defend himself against the attack. Gekko wailed almost as if he, himself were being attacked.

“Dude.” James looked at him like he was deranged. “Its just a hologram. Calm down. Its not like its a real monster that could actually hurt you if I told it to. Its not a pokemon.”

But it was hard to remain calm when -in just three turns- his Life Points were reduced from 2000 down to only 400. Especially when James still had all of his. When your whole life revolved around card games, it was hard not to react to a critical loss as if it had physically injured you. Besides, Gekko have never actually seen a pokemon battle before. So, he had no frame of reference with which to compare. 

Gekko Tenma  
Life Points: 400

James Pegasus  
Life Points: 2000

Jessie practically jumped out of her chair. “Whoo! Alright, James! That's my partner! Show him what happens when you mess with Team Rocket!”

“Yeah, Jimmy! Meow! You got this!” Meowth echoed her enthusiasm. 

The others sitting closes to Jessie and feline pokemon all did a double take. The duel momentarily forgotten as they stared at Meowth in shock. 

“Did- did that monster just talk?” Duke asked, disbelieving. “Are pocket monsters supposed to talk?”

“That's so cool!” Mokuba dashed around his older brother and sat on the floor in front of Meowth, his big cobalt eyes made all the wider by his excitement at meeting a talking pokemon. “Say something else!”

But Meowth jumped up on Jessie's shoulder to get out of the reach of the overly excited and energetic child. “Oy! Back-up Twerp. I ain't no party trick!”

Mokuba looked crestfallen. He hadn't meant to accidentally insult to poor kitty. 

“Mokuba, come away from there.” Kaiba commanded his younger brother. “You don't know where that thing's been.”

“What's that suppose ta mean!?” If Meowth had been insulted before, then he was downright unconsolably offended now. How dare that human imply that he was unsafe or unclean just because he didn't know every detail of every second of his life and history. Hmph! No wonder Jimmy's brothers were so hostile to this guy. Seto Kaiba was a jerk! Meowth hated him instantly.

For no other reason than to piss Kaiba off, Meowth jumped down off of Jessie's shoulder and rubbed his cheek against Mokuba's hand. “I like having my neck scratched.”

He made eye-contact with Kaiba-boy as his younger brother proceeded to give some half-way decent pets. 

Jessie turned her attention back to the dueling arena and James. He was what they were here for, after all. They could show Kaiba the vengeance of Team Rocket later. 

Luckily for Gekko, the battle phase ended James' turn. So he still had a chance to turn this around. He drew a card. 

….and slammed it down on his playing field. “I play Armament Reincarnation! A spell card that brings all the Equip cards in my Graveyard back as monsters. I only have one, and its attack and and defense will only be 500. But its card effects become its monster abilities.” He announced, and made sure his Reincarnated Neon Laser Blaster was in defense mode. “Now I summon my Thoroughbred Elf in attack mode!”

An elf with shoulder length straight hair appeared on the field. He didn't hold any weapons, but stood with his hands on his hips with a smug swagger. 

Thoroughbred Elf  
ATK/1800, DEF/1500

“And I'm going to have my elf attack your Naturia Guardian!” Gekko announced. 

The hologram of the Thoroughbred Elf rushed forward. It smashed the heel of its palm into the face on the trunk of the Guardian tree. But instead of the Naturia Guardian hologram shattering into a cloud of shards, a barrier of thick green thorns sprouted up between the Guardian and the Elf, destroying the attacking monster. 

“What!?” Gekko once again shielded his eyes as if the shattered holographic shards could actually harm him. 

“Did you forget about my face down cards?” James asked, arms crossed over his chest. “Your attack activated my trap card, Wall of Thorns. Whenever a plant-type monster is targeted, my Wall not only protects that monster, but also destroys all your attack position monsters.” He heaved a sigh and shrugged his shoulders. “Unfortunately, since it doesn't count as 'battle damage' it doesn't do anything to your Life Points. A shame. I could have beaten you in your own turn. Oh, by the way, I also have a monster that can be Special summoned any time a trap is activated. So, here's my Naturia Rock.”

He sent the top card of his deck to the Graveyard in order to actually use this affect, then laid the monster down in attack mode.

Naturia Rock  
ATK/1200, DEF/1200

Gekko slammed a fist down on his card field. “Jamie, how are you doing so well? You haven't played this game in fifteen years!”

James smirked back at him. “That's right. For the past fifteen years I've been learning how to battle with real monsters. Monsters that could swallow you just as easily as the Twerp you tell them to attack. Monsters that are living creatures with minds of their own that can refuse to do what you say. Compared to that, cards are easy. The cards have written on them exactly what they do and they don't do anything different. All you have to do is read the damn card to know how to play it.”

“Nye? Anyone else feel like he just called us a bunch of sissies?” Joey asked.

Jessie glanced over at him. “You are sissies.” She informed the twerp. “Pokemon are dangerous! What's the worst thing that happens during a card game? Paper cuts?”

“Kaiba threatened to kill himself once if he didn't win.” Joey informed her, as if this was absolute and undeniable proof that Duel Monsters was, in fact, a dangerous game. It wasn't that players were sissies that ever overly invested themselves in a children's card game to the point where their own feelings of the game turned it into a life-or-death situation. 

Kaiba growled an inappropriate expletive under his breath. Unhappy about Wheeler sharing that information, but unable to deny the truth of it. 

“I fell off a blimp once.” Duke informed her. Of course, he wasn't playing a card game at the time. But card games were taking place on the blimp that he nearly fell from. So, that sort of counted. Right?

“I was there too!” Tristan added, smiling with the belief that he was contributing meaningful information to the discussion. 

No one brought up the fact that Mai Valentine lost her soul -almost permanently- during that tournament. 

Jessie just rolled her eyes, unconvinced. As far as she was concerned, compared to training pokemon, or stalking ten-year-old Twerps to steal their Pikachu, Duel Monsters was a sissy game for sissies. 

It was James' turn now. 

...and all Gekko had to defend his Life Points was his Reincarnated Neon Laser Blaster. Luckily for him, it was in defense mode. 

Reincarnated Neon Laser Blaster  
ATK/500, DEF/500

Gekko Tenma  
Life Points: 400

James Pegasus  
Life Points: 2000

James drew a card. 

...and froze. 

He recognized it immediately. He just couldn't remember having actually put it in his deck. He didn't even think it was a legal card that could be used in the game. It didn't even have a name or a description. But he knew what it was the moment he saw the picture on it. It was his mother's picture. Rendered in oils, hand painted by his father. Scanned and shrunk to fit the small card and printed by the same press as any other Duel Monsters card. James just didn't think it was a Duel Monsters card. 

It was his mothers card. 

Cecelia Pegasus gazed at him with gentle eyes. 

What was she even doing in his deck? He did not put her card in his deck! He left her card in his father's damn diary which he had no intension of reading. 

“James, what's wrong?” He heard Jessie's voice demand, sounding almost far away and distant. He blinked, not realizing that just the sight of his mother's gentle smile and kind eyes had sent him into an almost trance. “What card is that?”

Shaking his head, James didn't answer her question. Instead, he looked back at the field. He couldn't play his mother's card. There weren't really any other moves he could make except to destroy Gekko's Reincarnated Neon Laser Blaster. But they were in defense mode, so his opponent wouldn't lose any Life Points for it. James' eyes fell on his other face-down card. He flipped it over. 

“I'm finally activating my face-down spell.” He announced. “Barkion's Bark prevents you from playing any trap cards -since I know half you deck is magic cards. And I'm having my Rock attack your Reincarnated Neon Laser Blaster.”

The hologram of the Naturia Rock jumped high into the air and came crashing back down on top of Gekko's Reincarnated Neon Laser Blaster, smashing it to shards. 

But, because it was in defense mode, Gekko didn't lose any Life Points.

Gekko Tenma  
Life Points: 400

But James still had another monster he could attack with before his turn was over. The Naturia Guardian was still on the field.

Naturia Guardian  
ATK/1600, DEF/1400

James smiled at him from across the field. “Are you ready, Geki? I'm about to end this.”

Gekko's hair hair fell over his eyes, hiding his expression, and for half a moment James wondered if his adopted brother was going to cry. But then Gekko looked up with an almost forlorn smile. “Well, I guess even the best duelists can draw a bad hand. Go ahead, Jamie. Hit me with your best shot. Kill me!”

“Once again, they're just holograms. They can't actually kill you.” James felt the need to remind him. “Now, Naturia Guardian, attack his Life Points directly and finish him!”

Once again, there was that beautifully animation of the arms of the tree lashing out like a grass-type's Vine Whip, aimed at the counter displaying Gekko's Life Points. The taloned hands grabbed the counter between them, squeezing it tightly as the number on the counter fell to zero. 

Gekko Tenma  
Life Points: 0

He lost. 

James won. 

Everyone gasped in shock. 

Gekko was a top tier Duelist in the Sanfran region. Maximilian Pegasus hailed him as the 'Perfect Duelist'. James wasn't even a Duelist. He was a pokemon Trainer. Sure, he might be the son of the man who created the game, but he hadn't played it in years. The fact that he could win against Pegasus' Perfect Duelist was staggering.

Closing his eyes, James sighed. He actually wasn't expecting to win against his brother. He was expecting Gekko to pull some last minute, OP, trump card out of nowhere and destroy all his monsters and all his Life Points in one move. But that didn't happen. James won. Without meaning to, a wicked -almost malicious- grin stretched over his lips. He never, in his wildest dreams, would have ever thought he could beat father's Perfect Duelist.

James indulged in a low mockery of a laugh. “Geki, Geki, I thought you had perfected the duel. But now I see all you are is just a tool! You all thought you'd be rid of me by the end of the day, but its not that easy to get me to go away. Really, one of you should have asked my assistant. She'd tell you if I'm one thing its persistent!”

There was a beat of silence as everyone just stared at him. The new arrivals, Seto Kaiba and his entourage came late and missed his theatric entrance with the spotlight and the rose petals. They had no idea that James Pegasus had a flair for the dramatic and an uncommon fondness for rhymes and limerick. 

“What the hell wat that?” Kaiba demanded. 

Téa but a hand to her head in an attempt to hide the embarrassed sweat drop that had formed. “Ugh... I'm having flashbacks tot he Paradox Brothers.”

Yugi gave an awkward laugh. “It does have sort of that same feel, huh.”

Bakura was about the only one who formed a positive opinion about the Pegasus heir's rhyming. “Well, I like him a lot better than the Brothers Paradox.” He admitted, offering an amiable smile. “At least, he hasn't threatening our life yet, or forced us to choose between a horrible death behind Door Number One, or a horrible death behind Door Number Two.”

“Seriously, is everyone associated with Pegasus a weirdo?” Mokuba asked. Kaiba thought this was a valid and excellent question. 

Gekko was looking down, possibly reexamining his cards, or possibly just contemplating his defeat. There was the slow inhale of breath, apparently, he wasn't really expecting the Duel to end this way either. Of course, the Perfect Duelist would be used to winning. But when Gekko looked up, he was smiling. “That was a fun game, Jamie.” He said. “I wish you had wanted to play more when we were kids.” 

He stepped down from the dueling platform and rejoined his twin and their other brothers.

In a bit of a daze, James also stepped down from his side of the dueling arena. ...Then toppled over completely when Jessie and Meowth practically tackled him to the ground in a celebratory hug. The three of them lay on the floor in a heap.

“I wasn't expecting to win.” He muttered into Jessie's hair. 

“But you did, and you were fantastic!” She cradled his face in her hands, and for the space of a heartbeat, Jessie felt the inexplicable urge to kiss him. ...She didn't, of course. They were teammates after all. Friends. Best friends. Instead, she crawled off of him and sat on the floor, giving James the opportunity to sit up. “So, what happens now?”

James only shrugged as Meowth climbed into his lap. He stroked the pokemon behind the ears absentmindedly as he answered. “You heard them, I only inherit if I can beat all four of them.” 

“That's right!” Depre snarled from almost halfway across the room. “I'm gonna put together a stronger deck, and I'm gonna kick your fruity Naturia cards' asses!”

Denying the urge to roll his eyes, James just looked at his adopted brother. “You're gonna put together another deck. So, we're not dueling right away? There's time to eat? I think I heard someone mention lunch earlier. Lunch sounds amazing right now!”

“Good idea!” Jessie agreed, she was back on her feet in seconds, offering James a hand up. “Lets get lunch. I'm starving!”

“What? That's it!?” Duke stood in disbelief bordering on horror. “What happens to the company?” What happens to his game that Industrial Illusions was supposed to be producing!?

“I donno.” James shrugged. 

The lawyer stepped between the parties. “Nothing will happen with the company until a winner emerges from the duels. There are still three more matches Master James has to Duel. If he looses, then we'll still have to go through a tournament for the other four.”

There was a pregnant pause. 

Everyone eyed James critically. 

Finally, Kaiba -the one with the least amount of social tact in the group- asked the one question they were all thinking, but were too polite to ask. “What makes him so special?”

“He's not special!” Depre snarled. 

Yako put a restraining hand on his shoulder. They didn't want to appear petty and excitable in front of the owner and CEO of Kaiba Corp. “What my brother means to say is...” the realized he had no idea how to end that sentence in a diplomatically neutral way, so he decided to be honest “...we hate him.”

That made perfect sense to Kaiba. He couldn't argue with that logic. 

Now the silence of the pause was awkward. 

The lawyer cleared his throat, dabbing at the sweat on his forehead with his stained handkerchief. “Shall we reconvene tomorrow?”

Everyone's eyes flicked between James and Depre. 

“Sure.” Said the latter. “Gives me time to adjust my deck.” 

“That's just fine with me!” Agreed the former. “Maybe I'll take the time to go shopping. I need to get a decent contouring pallet anyway.”

“I don't know what that is, but, fine! I'll see you tomorrow!” Depre growled. 

“Fine.” James shrugged. 

“Fine.” Depre snarled. 

“Fine!” James shouted.

The two men glared at one another.

“So, what I'm hearing here is that everyone's fine.” The lawyer gave a tense smile while dabbing at his sweat, hoping that the brothers weren't about to break-out into blows. 

James was the first to break eye-contact and turn away from the confrontation. “Croquet, bring the car.”

...

As the older man was holding the door open for Jessie and James to climb into the backseat, James paused. He shoved a card in Croquet's face -his mother's card. 

“I don't recall putting this card in my deck.” He informed the older man. 

It was hard to gauge the older man's reaction with those shades covering his eyes, but the corners of Croquets mouth turned up in a smug smile. As if he knew something that James didn't know, but he wasn't about to tell the younger man. He had to figure it out on his own. “I told you there was something for you in your father's diary.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Wait, you were serious when you said you needed a new contouring pallet?” Jessie asked when she saw that, instead of driving back to the Pegasus mansion, Croquet was pulling into the local Galleria. 

“Better quality one, yeah.” James nodded. “But not just better make-up. I wanna get an inappropriately short skirt and some cosmetic tape too.” He explained. “If I'm gonna be dueling Depre tomorrow I wanna throw him off his game by making him as uncomfortable as possible. That means I've gotta put on the very best drag show I can. So, better make-up and better clothes. Don't worry, we'll eat first.”

Lunch was great. 

They ate at some swanky place that required a reservation, but James slipped the Hostess a couple large bills by feigning a handshake and they were shown to a table immediately. It really was great having rich friends so long as they weren't shy about using their money. And if James actually managed to beat all four of his brothers and inherit the company, then he'd have more money then God! Even if he didn't beat them all, and just took the fifth of the fortune that was given to him as inheritance, he'd still be set for life. Enough money to buy his way out of Team Rocket, even! 

That thought gave Jessie a stab of sudden and inexplicable anxiety. James might be able to buy his way out of Team Rocket. But what about here? Where would that leave her? If James left...?

She stared at her reflection in her wine glass as these questioned danced through her head, taunting her with the bleak and hopeless prospect of a world in which she and James were no longer partners, and she never got to see his dorky smiling face every day. At what point in their partnership had James become such an important fixture in her life? That just the mere idea of him no longer being there caused her feelings of dread.

“Something wrong, Jess?” He asked, the moment both he and Meowth noticed that she had gone silent for a while.

She looked up from her wine, startled. Jessie didn't realize she was so preoccupied as to make the others worry. “Well, I-” but she wasn't about to tell James she didn't want him leaving the team if it meant leaving her behind. She couldn't admit to something like that out loud. Instead, she slammed a fist down on the table. “I'm insulted!” She snapped instead. “Here you are planning this big shopping trip for yourself, but what about me!? A flower is only as good as its petals, and a beautiful lady -no- a gorgeous beauty like myself deserves nice things too!”

Meowth heaved a sigh. “Here we go...”

Jessie gave a shrill, high-pitched 'oh-ho-ho-ho' of a laugh, lifting the back of her hand as she did so. 

“I never said you couldn't get things too.” James said dejectedly. He would never dream of going shopping with Jessie and not allowing her to put whatever she wanted on his bill. The fact that he didn't wanna get beat-up by his partner aside, Jessie had had a lot of hard times in her life, much harder than him, and she deserved nice things. He wanted to give her nice things. “I just assumed it went without saying.”

“Oh. Well. Good!” Jessie tried to quickly save face. She didn't want James to know that she was actually worrying that he might one day move on from her. Jessie liked to think she was stronger than that. She wanted him to think she was strong. “Just so we're clear then.”

Shopping together was great. James picked out dresses and skirts and blouses. Jessie took them into the dressing rooms along with her own selections for herself, so no one would think it was weird. Once inside, they switched clothes so that James could try on everything he picked out without earning any weird looks. 

It was a similar process at the registers. Jessie took everything up, and James paid. 

“Wow! I wish my boyfriend bought me clothes!” Commented the cashier ringing them up. 

Both Jessie and James turned equal shades of bright, bright red at that comment and started sputtering helplessly. “B-boyfriend!? That's not- We're not- I mean-” 

“Oh, I'm sorry.” Apologized the cashier. “You just seemed so cute together, I just assumed. I guess that was rude of me.”

With equal sighs, both Jessie and James seemed to calm down a bit. Really, they shouldn't even get all that worked up about this sort of thing. People often thought they were dating -or even married on occasion- and a number of their schemes in the past even hinged on them posing as a couple. So, it only made sense that they should be mistaken for a couple in real life. It just went to prove how excellent of con-artists they truly were. They should feel complemented not embarrassed. 

It wasn't like they had a reason to be embarrassed. 

Exiting the store, Jessie and James eyed each other surreptitiously. Without actually turning to face one another, each peered at the other out the corner of their eyes. A light flush coloring their cheeks. Nothing as bright and bold as in the store, but still just pink enough to be noticeable. 

Jessie once again thought about the prospect of James leaving the team after he beat his brothers. She didn't want him to go. Jessie couldn't imagine going through the rest of her life without him in it. But, did he feel the same way...?

She cleared her throat awkwardly. “So... make-up next?”

“Y-yeah!” Did his blush deepen? No. It was just her imagination. “Let's go.”

…

The first thing Depre did when he got home was take out every single trading card he owned. Overall, he preferred an outer space or “Cosmic” themed deck, so most of his cards had sci-fi themes that complemented and supported each other. As per his vow after James' duel with Gekko, Depre was going to take apart and rebuild his deck specifically to destroy James' Naturia deck. 

That was how he planned to spend his night. He did not plan for his other three brothers to invite themselves over, barge through his door with their own cards and tell him what he should and shouldn't put in his deck to defeat James. 

He was just sitting at his living room coffee table, waiting for a cup of artisan instant noodles to steep, his cosmic cards spread out in front of him when he heard the handle of his front door jiggle. He looked up in confusion. He wasn't expecting anyone over, and it wasn't like he had a girlfriend for anyone special in his life that might presume to invite themselves over spontaneously. He did have neighbors, and some of them had rowdy young annoying children. He ignored the handle jiggle and went back to compiling his play-combos.

But the handle gave another giggle, this time accompanied by a click that sounded suspiciously like one of the lock tumblers being released. Depre looked up startled. Was someone trying to pick his lock? Of his front door. While all the lights were on and he was clearly home.

Then the door swung open to reveal Richie kneeling down in the threshold, thin, needle-like wire and hook tools in his hands. Even kneeling down, his natural height and the gravity-defying lift of his hair almost managed to hide Yako and Gekko standing behind him.

Yako patted the other man on the shoulder as he stepped around him and into Depre's apartment. “Good work, Robin.”

“Stop calling me Robin.” Richie growled. 

“That's right.” Gekko informed his twin. “Considering his background and how he came into the family, Richie is much more like Red Hood.”

Both Yako and Richie ignored this comment, however. 

Standing, Richie came all the way in and shut the door behind him. 

“What the hell are you three doing here!?” Depre shot to his feet, banging his shins on the coffee table, almost spilling his noodles all over his cards, his question quickly morphing into an inappropriate expletive of pain. “And why did you have to break in!? Have none of you heard of knocking!?”

“Breaking and entering?” Richie was professionally insulted, he was far more skilled than that. “How dare you?” He opened the door, locked and unlocked it, before closing it again. “Nothing's broken. See?”

“Depre, stop getting side-tracked. Richie, stop playing with the damn door.” Yako commanded. He glared down at the Duel Monster cards spread over the coffee table, an analytical frown on his face. He plucked the cup of artisan instant noodles off the table and threw it in the trash. 

“Hey, that was my dinner!” Protested Depre. 

“No food around the cards!” Yako snapped back. They were precious and he did not want to risk them getting stained, bent, or water damaged by spilt food. He sat down in the second most comfortable spot on the couch -he knew it had to be the second most comfortable place because it had the second most food-stains on it. “Now, I see you're including your Eva cards.” He said, lining up the Eva Abductor, Eva Epsilon, and the Zeta Reticulant (which created two Eva Tokens when it's sent to the Graveyard) in a neat row. “That's good. Add this to your deck.”

From an inside pocket of his pink jacket, Yako pulled a vinyl deck case. From the deck case he pulled a card and added it to the Eva line up. Bending down, Depre picked the card up to read what it was. 

“The Cruel Angel?” He read skeptically. The picture on the card showed a -tastefully censored- painting of an adolescent girl whom was too skinny to be real, bending backward, her neck split open and head falling off, being held on by only a few flimsy strips of flesh, the bones of her vertebra exposed. He didn't have much experience playing with Holy (or un-Holy, as the case may be) cards. Angelic, Magical, and Mythic cards didn't work well with science fiction themed cards. “I can't use this card.”

“Yes you can.” Yako insisted. “Its OP as all hell and all you have to do to summon it is tribute your Evas.”

With an exasperated sigh, because dealing with Yako was always an exhausting endeavor, even when they were working on the same side. For such a fem-looking sissy who always dressed in pink, he was deceptively pushy and domineering. “Look, Yako, I wanna fuck Baby-Jay's shit up as much as you do. But please don't give me your creepy-ass pastel-macabre cards.”

“Then what about this?” Richie crossed the room, taking out his own deck case, a custom number made from scrap metal recycled from an old ammo canister. He unclipped and popped open the deck case and pulled out one of his own cards, passing it to Depre instead. 

It was a magic card, The Stampede. According to the description, disaster followed this card wherever it went. When it is first activated, all your opponents Equip spells are removed, and the opponent is unable to play any other Equip spells until it leaves the field. But when it leaves the field, all continuous effect and field spells are banished from play. Another over powered card -and you wouldn't even be able to tell from its picture. A blond man with hair spiked up almost as dramatically straight as Richie's own, round glasses, and a high-collard red coat. It just looked like every other diesel-punk card in Richie's Gunslinger deck. 

Depre passed the card back to his brother. “Thanks but no thanks. If it banishes field spells, then I'll lose my Cosmic Space card. Most of my strategies hinge on the Life Star countdowns. If that's all you got, then you guys can leave now. Richie, if my keys don't work in that lock anymore, you're buying me a whole new door. Ya hear me!”

“Relax, relax.” He brushed off his brother's concerns. Before he was adopted by Pegasus, Richie used to live on the streets. He ran with a very different crowd back then and he was forced to perfect certain disreputable skills. Among them was how to bypass an alarm, hot-wire a car, and pick a lock without breaking the lock. 

At the sounds of Depre trying to kick them out, Gekko looked up from his phone. “Wait, are we going? But I was just ordering dinner for us from Eat 24.” A pause. “Since Yako threw Depre's dinner out.” He looked down at his phone as if at a loss as to what he was supposed to do now. “It was gonna be organic and cruelty free.”

There was a beat as everyone just stared at him. 

He was the only one that hadn't tried to shove a trading card in Depre's face and command him to put it in his deck. 

“Was it at least going to be real meat?” Depre asked. Some of Gekko's hippy-dippy bleeding-heart food was really, really good. Maybe he could let them stay for a bit and go over the cards if there was food in it for him. Just so long as it wasn't any of Gekko's vegetarian, vegan, no meat, no cheese, no sin, no fun crap he sometimes got. Depre like the free-range, grass-fed, wild Alaskan, fair-trade meats Gekko got. But hold the salad. Salads were for fat chicks and fags. 

“Yes.” Gekko huffed. It was about as close to 'sass' as he ever got. A mildly exasperated huff of annoyance. He never snapped at his brothers or raised his voice. He didn't bite back with cutting remarks, or sarcasm, or snark. He was the sweet, polite one. Unlike his twin whom was always barking orders at the other three and if they didn't submit to his leadership Yako would bite back with something backhanded that cut deep and poked at old wounds. Gekko didn't do that sort of thing. Gekko was nice. Gekko was the 'good twin'. “I know who I'm with.”

Depre paused. He liked Gekko's new age taste in food so long as it included some version of a dead animal. Them 'love and light' tree-humpers really knew how to season a chicken and braise and side of beef. Who would have thought? “Okay, I guess I can listen to your input for a little while. At least until the food gets here.”

“Excellent.” Yako nodded, not to Depre, but to his twin. It may not have been Gekko's intension to manipulate their brother, but the end result was exactly what Yako wanted. “We need to beat James. Not just beat him, but destroy him so that he'll never come back.”

Depre and Richie both nodded their agreement. 

Gekko did not. He past it off as focussing on putting in their food order, but all this continued and unrepentant hostility towards their other brother made him uncomfortable. Yeah, they were all Pegasus' sons, but James was Pegasus' biological son. The only child to come from Cecelia -his one true love. Wasn't it disrespectful to their father's memory to 'destroy' him, as Yako put it. Wouldn't it be a better honor to their late father to try and reconcile their differences and repair the family? 

As much as Gekko didn't want to admit it, even to himself, he might be starting to disagree with his twin. 

…

Kaiba twirled around, his coat fairing behind him, one hand going to Mokuba's shoulder (holding onto his younger brother became a kind of instinct after so many kidnappings) as he rounded on the entourage following him. “What the hell are you geeks doing!?”

Yugi and his group of friends all paused, as if confused by Kaiba's hostility. 

“Well, we were following you.” Joey answered as if this simple and obvious answer explained everything and Kaiba was the foolish one for even having to ask in the first place. 

“I can see that, Wheeler.” The other man growled back, his hostility only seeming to increase and his hand tightened on his brother's shoulder. “What I want to know is why?”

Every single member in the group looked at the others, as if they were all confused by that question. As if they couldn't understand why it wasn't obvious to Seto Kaiba why Yugi and his entourage of losers, geeks, and lame-os were following him. 

“Well, we're in Sanfran region.” Yugi took up the charge of making the explanations to his rival and frienemy. “All out homes are back in Domino. Since we're gonna be staying here until the Duels are done, we all just assumed you had a place to stay.” 

At that admission, Kaiba's trademark evil smirk stretched across his lips. Suddenly, he had power over them. He had something they needed. If they expected to get it, then they better be prepared to meet his terms. “I do own a moderately successful inter-regional hotel chain, and -yes- there is one here in Sanfran City. I could let you all stay there free of charge...”

He let that statement trail off then paused, watching their expressions. Waiting for the moment when they remembered that he was who he was and would -of course- expect something in return. 

Téa didn't seem like she was going to get it at all. She smiled at him, a true and honest smile of admiration at all the perceived progress he'd made as far as being social, approachable, and friendly. He was so generous and helpful now, free with his wealth and his resources. The exact opposite of what he was -literally- six hours ago when they showed up unannounced at his office and asked for a ride out of the region. Sometimes, Téa could be so naive. 

Wheeler seemed to be second in line for not getting it. But he, at least, maintain a healthy -healthy for him- level of skepticism. “Jee, that's not at all like the Kaiba I'm used to.”

Yugi was third in line of Club Optimist, and that really irked Kaiba because his rival should know better! 

In fact, the only ones that did seem to remember who he was and his general character type were the three superfluous hangers on. The dumb one, Tristen, stared at Kaiba as if he didn't fully understand what was even supposed to be happening. The pretty one, Duke, tapped that perfectly sculpted chin of his in thought as if looking for an ulterior motive or a double cross. And then the one that was so unimportant Seto Kaiba couldn't even be bothered to remember his name actually commented.

“That's a very generous offer, Kaiba.” Said what's-his-name -Backgammon? Baccarat? Bakugan? Bakura?- offering a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. “But, given your past history, I have to wonder what you expect in return.” 

He did not phrase it as a question and it was so freaking polite that Kaiba almost missed the suspicion in it. This Baccarat guy was a real smooth operator. Seto was glad he was just a normal high school kid and not any version of an executive from a rival corporation. Kaiba would hate to have to go up against him as an enemy. 

That trademark smirk of his stretched into a full and proper grin. At least someone in their group had some sense and a brain to use it. Kaiba made a mental note to learn and actually remember Backgammon's real name. “In return...” began Kaiba “...I expect Yugi to duel me any time I want! And he must use his god cards!”

Even if it took him the rest of his life, Seto Kaiba was going to find a strategy to beat the Egyptian Gods!

Everyone in the group looked to Yugi. 

“Also,” added Kaiba as an after-thought, “Wheeler has to wear a dog costume for the remainder of the trip.”

Needless to say, Joey protested vehemently. But then Duke pulled a full-body dog-suit seemingly from out of nowhere. 

“I still have the one I made him wear at my game shop!” He announced proudly.

“Nye~! Where were you even keeping that?” Joey had to demand. 

“I say!” Exclaimed Bakura. “You just walk around with a fur-suit on you at all times?”

“Burn the witch!” Was Tristan's great contribution to the discussion. 

But Kaiba had little patience for their antics. “Wheeler, shut up and get in the dog-suit! Yugi, shuffle your deck. Its time to duel!”

Yugi heaved a weary sigh. He was the King of Games and Kaiba just could not stand that fact. The other man was determined to beat Yugi and claim the title for himself -seemingly at any cost. “Alright. If that's what you really want.”

One hour later, Seto Kaiba was once again kneeing on his knees in front of Yugi. The Life Points on his Duel Disk reading zero, and making heavy-breathing and sniffling noises that the other were obliging enough not to call 'sobs'. After all, Seto Kaiba did not cry, and he especially did not cry in front of people that were beneath him, and especially-especially not over losing a children's card game. 

Yugi offered him a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Can you just show us to your hotel now?”

Mokuba rubbed circles into his big brother's back until he was finally able to stand on his own two feet again. The entire time muttering soothing words to him. “Don't worry, Big Brother, you'll beat him some day!”

Kaiba lead them to his Sanfran region hotel. 

…

Someone had put his father's diary in his room. It was sitting on the bedside table when James entered and put his shopping down. He glared at the book critically, as if the object had personally offended him. Crossing the room, he yanked it off the bedside table and dropped it in the room's waste bin. He had no intension of reading it. Ever. And there were other things he needed to do with his time. Waxing and showering being next on his to-do list. 

James locked himself in his bathroom to painfully rid himself off body hair and shower. 

Jessie was in his bed again when James came out of the shower. 

She must have seen the diary in the trash and pulled it out because she was flipping through the pages when he came out. Not really reading it, so much as looking at the pictures. His father was an artist, there were just as many drawing and sketches in his diary as there were blocks of written text. 

The previous night he hadn't thought anything of them sleeping together. He wasn't exactly in the best place emotionally speaking and her closeness had been a welcome comfort. But he was better now, more himself and not in need of being cuddled and coddled, and it wasn't like the Pegasus mansion was short on beds or bedrooms, so it wasn't like at the hotel in Kalos where they slept together because there was literally only one place to sleep. 

James felt his cheeks warm and he hoped she'd assume any change in the redness of his face would be from the warm shower he'd just come out of. Really, there was no reason to be getting worked up anyway. They slept together -that is to say slept chastely in the same bed- all the time. It wasn't like there was anything special about it. ...There was just usually a reason for it. 

Jessie's own cheeks flushed when she noticed her partner had more-or-less frozen in mid-step coming out of the shower, wearing nothing more than a towel and a bewildered blush. She flashed him a self-deprecating grin. 

“This place it so big.” Jessie offered by way of explanation. “So many empty rooms and so quiet. And all those old statues and artifacts from looted tombs... Meowth started to feel a little creeped out. Can we sleep with you tonight?”

James looked to the feline pokemon that had already taken up a position on James' own pillow. Meowth had a history of being superstitious and easily excitable. But, those same traits could be applied to Jessie as well. Both of them could easily be bothered by big empty houses, quiet rooms, or ancient dead-eyed statues. Jessie was scared just as much as Meowth was, but she had too much pride to admit it. But as her friends neither of them would call her on it. They would let her keep her dignity and allow her the little white lie. 

“Well, I wouldn't want Meowth to be scared.” He climbed into bed next to her and pulled his father's diary out of her hands. James tossed the book across the room where it landed on the floor with an understated thunk. 

So, for the third night in a row, Jessie and James slept together.

...Not that either of them was counting or anything.


	8. Chapter 8

“Son of a- grr!”

Jessie awoke to the sounds of frustration coming from the bathroom. She opened her eyes to see the bathroom door hanging partially open, and James in front of the mirror applying his eyeliner. 

When he noticed she was awake, he decided to include her into his struggled. “Ya know how you can get the wing on one eye absolutely perfect, but when you go to apply the other wing you end up looking like the villain in a bad 80s fantasy drama!” 

Groaning, Jessie climbed out of bed. “James, your eyes are supposed to be sisters, not twins. Its okay if they're not absolutely perfect.” 

She crossed the bedroom and entered the bathroom get a better look at him. 

He looked stunning. 

The foundation and concealer hiding every blemish, sun-spot, freckle, or sleep-shadow. His sink looked flawless and immaculate, like a porcelain doll. Onto this immaculate canvas of flawless perfection, he'd added contouring cream to soften his features, make his face appear less masculine. Smoothing sharp, angular lines into smoother and more gentle curves, making him look dainty and feminine. His lip-liner and lipstick were a shade of red that was both elegant and provocative and gave Jessie the urge to lean in and kiss him -she didn't, of course! The eyeshadow was in tones of green that accentuated his naturally emerald eyes, making them seem so much brighter and bigger. 

The only thing that was left still out of place was that one eye had a perfect wing of eye-liner accenting it, while the other eye was still modestly naked in that respect. 

Jessie took the liquid eye-liner brush out of his hand. “Here. Let me help you with this part.”

She closed the space between them, their faces so close together they could feel each other's breath on their skin. The inexplicable urge to kiss him reared up in her again, but Jessie squished it back down. The fact that they were teammates and it would throw off the team aside, she didn't want to smear his make-up. Taking an unconscious breath to steady her sudden nerves, Jessie put both her hands over his ears and tilted his face up. 

“Look up and don't blink.” 

Did his own breath catch when she grabbed him? Maybe. But that was no reason to assume he was also feeling the same kind of inexplicable tension she was experiencing. James had, at one time, had an abusive fiancee that was not shy about using physical force against him. It could be that her sudden grab and command reminded him of Jessebelle. Jessie let go quickly. When James didn't back away from her, she cleared her throat in an effort to deflect from the awkwardness. 

She slid the brush along the waterline of his lower-lid. Then repeated the motion for his upper eye-lid, flaring the line up at the end in a delicate wing that was almost identical to the one James had already drawn. She blew on the corner of his eye to help the liner dry so that it didn't smudge if she had to grab him again. 

He giggled involuntarily. “Jes, that tickles!”

“But your wings look amazing.” She took a step back to look at him. 

Make-up so perfect he looked better than a Vogue model. He left his hair natural, no product to give it extra bounce or make it look sleeker. It framed his face in shades of periwinkle, hiding the rougher, more masculine corners of his chin that even the best make-up artists couldn't hide fully. For clothing he had gone for a sleeveless black turtleneck, not very different than what they both wore under their Team Rocket uniforms -except this one was made from a shimmery knit that showed a wine-red when the light hit it. Under this shimmery red-black top he had put on a pair of fake breasts. Bigger than Jessie' own, but with enough weight, bounce, and softness to them that made them seem real. His lower back would be killing him by the end of the day. Below the shift was a tight skirt made from red leather that hugged his hips and ass, and was criminally short. 

Jessie raised an eyebrow. “What are you wearing under that?”

James just shrugged. “Fashion tape.”

She flushed at the idea that, beneath his skirt, there was nothing between her and all of James' well groomed and manscaped maleness but a few strips of cosmetic tape keeping him tucked between the legs. Her whole body grew hot as she felt her heart hammer against her rib-cage. And there was no reason for it. It wasn't like she'd ever seen James' naughty bits before. 

“Don't- don't you think you should, I donno... put something on under there?” She suggested, hoping to cover up her true feelings.

James only shrugged. “I mean, its not like I'm gonna be kicking up my legs much. I'll just be playing a card game, which involves mostly just standing there. If someone see's up my skirt, they're the ones that are doing something wrong, not me.”

Well, she couldn't argue with that logic. Certainly she walked around on a semi-daily basis in a criminally short skirt, and she did a lot more than just standing around in it. Running, jumping, climbing trees, posing for their motto, and -of course- blasting off. And to the best of Jessie's knowledge, no one had ever seen her panties. So, if all James was gonna be doing was just standing there, then no one should be able to see his cosmetic tape. And if they did, they were the one doing something they shouldn't, not James. 

Jessie cleared her throat. “Alright, then. Let's talk shoes.”

…

Yugi was rudely awoken when he was forcefully pulled from his bed by Seto Kaiba whom was demanding another duel. 

Thirty minutes later, Kaiba was once again on the floor crying, while Yugi yawned on his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth and start his morning. 

Needless to say, he was a tad grumpy when they arrived back at the Industrial Illusions complex not long after. But he wasn't alone in his grumpiness. 

Kaiba was also grumpy because he'd lost that morning's duel to Yugi, and -as per Kaiba's terms for them to stay at his hotel free of charge- Joey was wearing the doggie themed fur-suit provided by Duke. So three out of the eight of them were in pretty poor spirits. And Joey's foul mood only increased when they bumped into a familiar face in the lobby. 

“Yugi Moto and Seto Kaiba hanging out together!? Is the world ending or are you two secretly dating? Neither would surprise me.” The whole group turned to see Mai Valentine standing at the reception desk waiting for her visitors pass. She put a hand on her hip as she surveyed the group. “Joey, are you wearing a furry suit?”

That did seem to surprise her. At least, her eyes seemed to go a bit wider at seeing Joey in a dog-suit than they did at seeing Yugi and Kaiba together. 

“Nye! Hide me!” And he practically dove behind Tristan and Téa.

“Joey, she's already seen you.” Téa reminded him. “Hiding now's not gonna change anything.”

“Chin up, Joey.” Bakura grabbed his friend by the paw and pulled him out from behind the others. “The best thing for you to do now is face it head on with courage!”

Mai blinked at the group, watching their antics as Bakura tried to pull Joey in his dog-suit out from behind the others. For a long moment it looked like no one was going to say anything else and that just made things more awkward. 

Then the receptionist finished programing Mai's visitors badge. “There you are Miss Valentine. This visitors badge will offer you access to the dueling arenas, building canteen, and other Level-2 security and below areas. Thank you for visiting Industrial Illusions, and I hope you have a nice day!”

It was the exact same kind of visitors badge they all got the previous day. 

So, someone felt the need to ask, “What are you doing here, Mai?”

It gave them something to talk about besides Joey's closeted furry tendencies. 

“On, well, I heard there was some dispute over the ownership of Duel Monsters since Pegasus bought the farm. So I came to watch the duels. I wanna see who takes over first hand!” A pause. “I assume you're all here for the same reason.”

Everyone gave affirmatives in one form or another. All except Duke. He didn't care what happened to the card game. He just wanted to know what was going to happen to his own game. The one he designed and i2 was supposed to be producing. Dungeon Dice Monsters. It wasn't personal. It was -literally- just business. 

They all headed to the arena together, Mai being absorbed into the group as if it were the most natural thing in the world. As if she always belonged with them. 

Four of Pegasus' sons were already there when they arrived. Yako, Gekko, Richie, and today's Duelist, Depre, were all already waiting when the spectators arrived and took up their seats. But the other Duelist of the day, James, was nowhere to be seen. 

“He's late.” Yako growled to no one in particular. 

“He probably just wants to make another entrance, like yesterday.” Gekko offered a possible explanation. 

“I swear to gawd! If he pulls any of that fruity crap from yesterday, I'm going to punch him in his stupid face!” Depre informed his brothers. 

“I mean... there's no rule against being overly flamboyant and melodramatic.” Richie had to admit. No matter how annoying it was, or how embarrassing it was to watch, there was no rule against being over-the-top and showy in Duel Monsters. In fact, there had been times when the late Maximilian Pegasus even capitalized on being flamboyantly melodramatic and over-the-top showy.

Nobody considered for even a moment the possibility that James wouldn't make an absurdly complicated theatrical entrance. 

Sure enough, the lights went out, the ventilation fans picked up, and the air was filled with the scent of roses. 

“Yesterday was more fun than I expected. Maybe I was hasty when these cards I rejected.” James' voice echoed through out the arena chamber. “Depre's up next, and his deck's a space cadet. They say he's a master, but I'll take that bet!”

Just like the last time, a spotlight appeared, illuminating the Duelist. Light shown James' periwinkle hair, but the face that was framed by it was different. Softer, somehow. More feminine. With full pouty lips in a provocative shade of red, long eyelashes and green toned eye-shadow that seemed to heighten the natural emerald color of his eyes. The skin of his cheeks looked smoother, unblemished, like fine porcelain or alabaster. Below the neck was a form-fitting top made from some shiny black fabric that shone red in the light, It stretched over a pair of generously sized and unearthly perky round breasts that he most definitely did not have the previous day. And lower still was a tight red shirt that hugged his narrow hips and showed off his legs. Legs that ended in a pair of pleather boots with slightly less-than-practical 3-inch heel. 

This time, instead of just rose petals, the air was filled with both petals and glitter. So that James was surrounded by a cascade of sparkles as well as roses. It gave the illusion James being a magical-girl princess. 

It was all all four brothers could do to just stand there and stare with their mouths hanging open in shock. 

“What the hell is this!?” Kaiba snarled at the spectacle.

“Yeah!” Joey agreed with the absurdity of what they were seeing. He balled one of the paws of his dog-suit into a fist. “He was definitely a guy yesterday!”

“His boobs are bigger than Mai's!” Téa observed, one hand conversing her face in sympathetic embarrassment. 

“Burn the witch!” Shouted Tristan. 

James smirked and stepped up to the dueling podium. “Whenever there's peace in your universe, you'll see me there to make it worse! It might seem a bit cruel, but I don't care. It's time to duel!”

Massaging his templed as if he were already trying to fight off a stress headache, Depre likewise climbed onto his dueling podium. “My gawd, its like being trapped inside a Disney-channel original with you. Can you stop breaking out into spontaneous rhymes with flowers and sparkled for, like, five minutes.” 

“What? Too gay for you?” Taunted James. He shrugged his shoulders, making those unearthly big and perky breasts of his bounce. “You're welcome to withdraw and go home. If it bothers you that much.”

Depre pulled back, leaning away from the podium as if an entire arena of space between him and James wasn't enough. He cringed openly, eyes going wide, and cheeks burning red from the sigh of his brother's breasts bouncing. “You- you- You're sick! Stop that! I- The only reason I'm not going over there and punching your lights out is because its more important that I beat you in this duel!”

James glared at his brother. “Ya know, just for that, I think you should go first.” 

“That's just fine!” Depre snarled back. “I don't need the advantage of the second turn to take you down! IT'S TIME TO DUEL!”

Depre Scott  
Life Points: 2000

James Pegasus  
Life Points: 2000

They each drew five cards for their first hand, and Depre spread out his cards to see what he had. None of them were his Cosmic Space field card. He did get his Greed Quasar and Zeta Reticulant, but they were both level seven monster and so couldn't be summoned without tributing. In fact, the only cards he could use on the first turn were his Stormtrooper Aim trap card, and level one monster, Red Shirt Ensign. 

“I'm setting a monster face down in defense mode!” Depre narrated as he placed his cards on the field. “And I'm also playing this card face down.” 

James glared at his brother's cards. One face-down monster -in defense mode- and one face down magic card, but there was no way to tell if it was a Spell, an Equip, or a Trap. Still, he had to put down something if for no other reason than to defend his Life Points. 

“I'm also laying a magic card face down.” He announced as he took one card out of his hand and placed it on the field. Then he yanked another card from between his fingers and threw it down too. “And I'm playing my Naturia White Oak in attack mode.” There was a faint glow as the holo-projectors revved up, before a happy-looking tree with a wide trunk and thick leaves appeared on the field. It was surrounded by insects and flowers, all in a wash of bright colors. All and all, a sweet looking monster card.

Naturia White Oak  
ATK/1800, DEF/1400

“And since you don't have any other targets out on the field,” continued James, “I'm having it attack your face-down monster!”

The branches of the White Oak shook for a moment, loosening a cascade of oak leaves before the leaves were flung at the face-down monster in a almost perfect reproduction of a grass-type's Leaf Blade attack. But before the attack could connect the leaves went askew, impacting everywhere on his opponent's side of the field except the monster they were aimed at. 

“What!?” James gasped, eyes going wide. 

“Hm. You activated my trap card!” Depre explained for him, as his face down magic card revealed itself for everyone to see. “My Stormtrooper Aim prevents my enemy's from hitting me. All your attacks will just miss.” A sigh. “Unfortunately, Stormtroopers have short lifespans, so this card will only stay in effect for three turns. One for each movie.”

“Uh... I'm pretty sure there are eight movies by now.” James informed him. 

“Shut-the-fuck-up! There are three. There will only, ever, always be three! The prequels, sequels and spin-offs don't exist!” Depre shouted back. “Anyway, your attack also Flip Summoned my monster, the Red Shirt Ensign.”

A non-descript human of average build, with a sixties hair cut, wearing a red uniform shirt appeared on the field. 

Red Shirt Ensign  
ATK/500, DEF/0

“What a uselessly weak monster.” Mai commented from the sidelines. After all, the Red Shirt only had five-hundred attack points and absolutely no defense to speak of! “Why would anyone keep that in their deck?”

“Maybe it plays into some clever strategy, just like Yugi's Kuriboh.” Bakura suggested in his best 'I'm being helpful' voice. 

Mai hmph'd and turned her attention back to the game. 

James just rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Anyway, a trap card was activated, so I can Special Summon my Naturia Rock from my hand.”

He laid another monster down next to his White Oak. A large, round, gray boulder with tiny arms and legs and beady brown eyes appeared on the field. 

Naturia Rock  
ATK/1200, DEF/1200

“Its my turn now.” Depre asserted as he drew a card from his deck. He looked at it and smirked, it was his favorite card, the Field spell on which all of his strategies hinged. Cosmic Space. “I'm glad you attacked my Red Shirt because its effect can only be used when he's Flip Summoned. You see, this card is useless in a Battle Phase, but its effect is that it can count as two tributes to summon a level seven monster. I wouldn't even have been able use this effect if you hadn't attacked my card.” He indulged in an open-mouthed laugh before getting serious again. “Now, as my Red Shirt dies with a wilhelm scream, I'm able to summon my Greed Quasar!”

He pulled the card from his hand and slammed it down on the field. 

A bone-colored monster materialized on the field. With a cone-shaped head, slitted eyes that glowed red, and sharp teeth. Its torso looked to be a second face, even more nightmarish than the one on its head. A wide mouth stretching with full width of the torso, empty skeleton eyes as deep and black as an abyss, and mecha arms. It hovered above the field, three pairs of pincers where its legs should be. 

Greed Quasar  
ATK/x, DEF/x

Everyone in the room gasped in mingled shock and confusion.

“What the hell!?” Demanded Joey. “Its doesn't have any attack or defense! How is that a level seven monster? Why would somebody have that? Why would somebody play that?” It didn't make sense! As much as Joey hated Pegasus, he was really starting to hate the man's sons too. He didn't understand their plays!

Kaiba crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the other man. “Shut-up, Wheeler. Haven't you learned about card effects yet? Just be a good boy and sit. Don't bark unless someone says 'speak'.”

“Depre, what are you up to...” James ventured cautiously. 

“I'm up to this!” Depre announced, holding up the card he'd just drawn. Slowly, with a little dramatic flair of his own, he turned the card around so that it could clearly be seen. “My Cosmic Space card. Its a Field Spell that transforms the whole arena into cold, dark outer space.” He laid the card down, and the field was covered in darkness, interrupted here and there by the occasional star, or cloud of drifting space-dust. “And since nothing can survive in space, each monster gets a number of Life Stars equal to its level. Every turn, that number goes down. When a monster runs out of Life Stars, its destroyed. Since your monsters are a level four and a level three, they'll be gone long before my level seven Greed Quasar.”

He smirked, as if in triumph. 

“Okay...” James had to marvel a bit at the sheer amount of over-powered that field spell really was. “But, your Greed Quasar still shows exes for its attack and defense points. Clearing my monsters is great and all, but at some point you will have to attack my Life Points.”

“Ah, I haven't finished.” That smirk on Depre's face only widened. “You see, my Greed Quasar's effect is that its attack points and defense points are three-hundred times the level of Life Stars it has. At the moment that's seven.”

The computer did the necessary calculations for them. 

Greed Quasar  
ATK/2100, DEF/2100  
Life Stars: 7

The spectators all gasped.

“That's a super-powerful monster!” Yugi exclaimed. It was starting to feel like this Depre guy was bullying James in this game, and that was something he just could not approve of. While Yugi didn't really know either man very well, he found himself rooting for James. If for no other reason than he couldn't stand the idea of a bully winning the duel. 

“Good job, Depre!” Yako cheered from his seat. He thrust a fist in the air to punctuate his pleasure. This duel was off to a better start than he expected. 

“And now...” Depre focused his eyes on James' side of the field. I'm going to have my Greed Quasar attack your Naturia White Oak!”

The mouth in the center of the Greed Quasar's chest roared, flexing its mecha-arms. Then it charged at James' White Oak, stabbing the tree right in the center of its trunk. There was the sound effect of creaking wood and shaking branches, before the hologram of the tree disintegrated into a million little pixel-pieces. 

James Pegasus  
Life Points: 1700

Depre smirked again. “You were saying?”

James took a breath to steady himself. This was not shaping up to be as easy as his victory over Gekko yesterday. But he wasn't about to give up. He couldn't let Depre have the satisfaction of beating him. 

He puckered his red-painted lips and blew a kiss at the other man to get him flustered. “That actually helped me out, Depre, so thank you. Ya see, when my Naturia White Oak is sent to the Graveyard, its Effect allows me to Special Summon two other Naturia monsters from my deck -so long as they're level four or below, of course.” His hand went to his deck and he pulled out two cards. “And I choose my Naturia Cosmobeet and my Naturia Strawberry.”

He placed both cards on the field in attack mode and holographic projections of them promptly appeared. The Cosmobeet looked like something out of a Miyazaki movie. An all black sphere with big, innocent, round eyes and tiny little arms and legs. Three bright daisies grew out of its head in shades of fuchsia, baby-pink, and white. 

Naturia Cosmobeet  
ATK/1000, DEF/700  
Life Stars: 2

And the Naturia Strawberry was the same as before. An oversized berry with a smiling face, and tiny leaf-like arms and legs. 

Naturia Strawberry  
ATK/1600, DEF/1200  
Life Stars: 4

“As you might remember from yesterday,” began James, “my Strawberry's unique ability is that, whenever you Normal or Special summon a monster, my Strawberry gains one-hundred attack points multiplied by the level of the monster you summoned. And, since both of these were technically Special Summoned during your Battle Phase, I'm free to do a Tribute Summon of my own!”

The end of the Battle Phase also meant the end of Depre's turn, which meant that his Greed Quasar lost one Life Star. Since its attack and defense were directly proportional to its Life Stars, the monster's strength also went down. The arena's computer took care of keeping track of that for them.

Greed Quasar  
ATK/1800, DEF/1800  
Life Stars: 6

James' attention was mostly on his own cards and play strategy. He drew one card from his deck to being his turn and barely glanced at it before adding it to his hand. “I sacrifice my Naturia Cosmobeet, and my Naturia Rock to summon Naturia Barkion!”

Everyone else seemed to love posing with their cards and James did have a flair for the dramatic. So, when he pulled the monster card from his hand, before slamming it down on the field, he first drew it in front of his face, winked at Depre from around one side of it, raised the card into the air, then finally placed it down on the field. 

The square on the field glowed for a moment, before a white and taupe serpentine dragon flew up out of it. With a belly of stone and back spines of wood. Moss covered its head and claws. Barkion flew a circle around the field, glaring at Depre and his Quasar with its amber eyes, before finally coming to rest and coil itself above the original square it was summoned from. 

Naturia Barkion  
ATK/2500, DEF/1800  
Life Stars: 6

“And, since Naturia Barkion is a level six monster, he has six Life Stars according to the rules of your Field Spell.” James concluded. “That makes my monster stronger than yours. Of course, since you still have that Stormtrooper Aim card out, there's really no point in me attacking. So I'll just place this card face down next to my other face down magic card.” He added another card to play.

“Are you ending your turn?” Depre asked, just be clear.

“Obviously.” James flipped his hair in a way that made him seem more alluring than any man had any business being.

Depre tried very hard not to let the fact that it was affecting him show. There was no way in hell he was going to admit -even to himself- that he found his brother attractive. Cheeks red and face hot, he instead tried to focus his attention on the Life Star counters. James just ended his turn. That meant that both his monsters lost a Life Star. 

Naturia Strawberry  
ATK/1600, DEF/1200  
Life Stars: 3

Naturia Barkion  
ATK/2500, DEF/1800  
Life Stars: 5

Depre drew a card to begin his turn. It was Eva Epsilon, and it was a level four monster, so he could easily summon it. But then James' Naturia Strawberry would get an extra attack bonus of one-hundred pints. It would still be weaker than his Greed Quasar, but only just barely and James also had two magic cards face down on the field. Without knowing what those were, it would be foolish to strengthen his opponent's monster just before attacking. 

But he also didn't want to attack and then end his turn with only one monster defending his Life Points. Especially not when James had that absurdly strong dragon on his side of the field. 

“I summon Eva Epsilon!” He announced. Then added, “In defense mode. Well, Jay, your little fruit might have just gone up to seventeen-hundred, and my Greed Quasar may have gone down to eighteen-hundred, but that's still more than your faggoty Strawberry.” 

Naturia Strawberry  
ATK/1700, DEF/1200  
Life Stars: 3

Eva Epsilon  
ATK/1500, DEF/1600  
Life Stars: 4

Greed Quasar  
ATK/1800, DEF/1800  
Life Stars: 6

“Can I assume you're done playing cards and just gonna attack?” James asked, flipping his hair agains in that way that made Depre so uncomfortable. It was not okay for a man to look that goddamn attractive as a woman!

“Yeah! I am!” Depre shouted at him across the field, face once again a bright shade of red. “I'll destroy your little fruit and your Life Points will take another hit!”

James smirked. His provocative red lips stretching into a satisfied smile. “Okay then. I'll just activate this.” He flipped over one of his face down cards. “Thunder of Ruler. A Trap card that cancels your Battle Phase, preventing you from attacking. You won't be killing my fruit this turn, I'm afraid. But thanks for the attack boost. And since you can't take your Battle Phase, your turn is over. This being your third turn, that annoying Stormtrooper Aim card is also gone, leaving me free to attack!”

His monsters also lost another Life Star and -in the case of the Greed Quasar- got weaker.

Greed Quasar  
ATK/1500, DEF/1500  
Life Stars: 5

James drew a card to begin his turn. 

He shrugged again, making those breasts bounce once more in a way that made Depre's face burn, and James couldn't help another smirk of satisfaction when he saw his brother look away. Trying to focus his attention on his cards, on the field, on the Life Points and Life Star counters. Anywhere but on his opponent that had -over night- managed to transform himself from an average (maybe slightly skinny) guy into an oppai babe. It just wasn't right!

“Since your Eva is in defense mode, it doesn't matter which of my monsters destroys it.” James was saying. “So I'm gonna have my Strawberry take him down!”

The Naturia Strawberry skipped forward, crossing the cosmic field with its little leaf-like legs. The sound effect for its movement was a child's voice in time with each skip of its knees, 'i-ku, i-ku, i-ku'. It was simply adorable! When it got to the Eva Epsilon, the Strawberry blinked at it for a moment, such a scary-looking and intimidating monster compared to its own brightly colored adorable self. 

“Aw! That is just the most adorable thing I've ever seen!” Tea commented. She was really liking these Naturia cards. They were almost as precious as her own Love and Friendship deck. 

Then the Strawberry head-butted the Eva with its large, over-sized strawberry head. The Eva staggered backwards before the Strawberry's cute, little smiling mouth split into a wide maw of dripping red juice and sharp strawberry seed teeth. The Strawberry pinned the Eva to the holo-projector, ripped its chest open and ate its heart out. The Eva gave a death-cry that sounded suspiciously like a Japanese teenager screaming 'father, why!?' before it shattered into thousands of holographic shards. 

But, as James had said, because it was in defense mode, Depre didn't take any damage from the destruction of his Eva. 

Depre Scott  
Life Points: 2000

“Now, I'm going to have my Naturia Barkion attack your Greed Quasar!” James announced. He raised his arm up into the air, then brought it down, out in front of his, fingers splayed. Almost as if he were giving an order to one of his pokemon. Almost as if this were a real battle, and these were real monsters. “Now! Barkion!”

The serpentine-dragon gave a terrifying roar. It shook the arena speakers and reverberated off the building walls. Naturia Barkion flew upwards, circled the field one more time, then came down on Depre's Greed Quasar. It wrapped its body around the other monster, squeezing it tight so that little cracks appeared in its bone-like torso. There was the sound of creaking bone and strained metal, before Barkion bit the Quasar's cone-shape head off. The rest of the Quasar hologram disintegrated into formless pixels. Barkion swallowed the rest. 

Depre Scott  
Life Points: 1000

James snapped his fingers in triumph and did a little hop-skip in place, making his breasts bounce once again. “How ya like them apples?”

All the spectators gasped. 

“In one move, he just cut Depre's Life Points in half!” Kaiba exclaimed. Fairly impressive considering that up until that point James had been trailing. Kaiba didn't have any love for the late Pegasus, and he was all ready to extend his loathing to the man's children. But this James guy was shaping up to be a fairly decent Duelist -odd personality quirks and crossdressing tendencies aside. Kaiba wouldn't go so far as to say he was starting to like the man, Seto Kaiba did not do the whole 'friendship' thing. But James was certainly earning his respect as a Duelist. He was no wimp. 

But the Battle Phase ended James' turn and that also meant that all his monsters lost another Life Star. 

Naturia Strawberry  
ATK/1600, DEF/1200  
Life Stars: 2

Naturia Barkion  
ATK/2500, DEF/1800  
Life Stars: 4

Another two turns and his Strawberry would be gone. 

Depre drew a card. 

And sighed. “That's fine. This is fine.” He laid the card down on the field. “I play a magic card, 'Cyborgmen Hivemind'. It takes control of your monsters, and assimilates them onto my side.” Everyone watched as both James' Naturia Strawberry and his Naturia Barkion were transformed into robotic cyber-punk versions of a strawberry and a dragon, before dematerializing and re-materializing on Depre's side of the field. “Ha! Resistance is futile, you will be upgraded!” 

Cyberman Strawberry  
ATK/1600, DEF/1200  
Life Stars: 2

Borg Barkion  
ATK/2500, DEF/1800  
Life Stars: 4

James glared at the monsters that were formerly his as if the holograms had wills of their own and chose to betray him. Just like every Magikarp he ever tried to evolve. As soon as it became a Garadose, it tried to kill him. How dare they!?

Depre sighed. “Unfortunately, this doesn't count as battle and your monsters weren't destroyed, so you don't take any damage. But now I've got two strong monsters protecting my Life Points and you have nothing. It's your move.”

And, since James' monsters were now controlled by Depre, they lost Life Stars at the end of his turn.

Cyberman Strawberry  
ATK/1600, DEF/1200  
Life Stars: 1

Borg Barkion  
ATK/2500, DEF/1800  
Life Stars: 3

James drew a card. 

“I Summon the Twilight Rose Knight!” He placed the card on the field. 

The sound of violins and castanets filled the arena speakers. A cascade of pink rose petals -very similar to James' own entrance- swirled around the field. The holo-projectors glowed, and a short, humanoid figure that looked almost like a child wearing black armor appeared on the field. A flowing white cape hung from his shoulders, and strands of periwinkle blue hair poked out from under the helmet. The Rose Knight actually almost looked like James as a child -and those watching the game were reminded that it was James' father that designed the Duel Monsters cards and produced the game. 

The Twilight Rose Knight pointed his shining sword at Depre and his assimilated monsters. 

Twilight Rose Knight  
ATK/1000, DEF/1000  
Life Stars: 3

“Gawd! More of this gay-ass shit!” Depre snarled. This might be a card game, but he sure as hell wasn't having fun. Between his opponent crossdressing as something out of a porn fantasy, and all these cutesy-looking monsters, it was frustrating enough. But then he just had to pull out that flowery gay knight. It made Depre uncomfortable. 

“And,” continued James, “my Rose Knight's Effect is that any time he's Normal summoned, I can Special summon a plant-type monster from my hand. So, here's Naturia Marron.”

Naturia Marron  
ATK/1200, DEF, 700  
Life Stars: 3

“Great job, dumb-ass.” Depre scoffed. “Or have you forgotten your own monster's effect? Any time its opponent Normal or Special summons a monster it gets an extra one-hundred attack multiplied by the level of the monster. Since they were both level three, that means my Cyberman Strawberry gets six hundred more attack points.”

Cyberman Strawberry  
ATK/2200, DEF/1200  
Life Stars: 1

Depre was actually starting to really like that Strawberry. 

“I'm not done yet.” James snapped. “Or have you forgotten? All my Naturia cards have Effects. When Naturia Marron is summoned, it allows me to send one Naturia monster from my deck to the Graveyard, pick a monster from the Graveyard and shuffle it back into the deck, then draw a card.” He did all of this as he narrated, pausing just before ehe drew his card so that he could make it dramatic and slow. Then he shrugged. “Well, its not the card I wanted, but this will do. Naturia Stinkbug.”

Naturia Stinkbug  
ATK/200, DEF/500  
Life Stars: 3

From the sidelines, Yugi blinked at the playing field. “Just so everybody's clear, he just summoned a bunch of monsters in one turn.”

“Hey! He can screw the rules, he has money!” Kaiba reminded his rival. 

“I'm fairly certain he managed to do that according to the rules.” Bakura commented. 

“Nye, shut-up Bakura! Nobody cares what you think.” Joey groaned. Nobody cared what he had to say. The only time he ever used his Occult Deck was when he was possessed and trying to kill them all. What did he know about Duel Monsters?

From out of nowhere Kaiba pulled a spray bottle. “Wheeler, what did I say about barking without anyone saying 'speak'!? Bad dog!” And he sprayed Joey in the face. “Bad! Sit, boy!”

“I'm not done yet.” James informed everyone. “I also have a spell card. United We Stand. Its an Equip spell that gives an extra eight-hundred attack for every face-up monster I control. At the moment, that's three, so that would be an extra two-thousand four-hundred. I should add it to my Marron since its the strongest, but because I know it would bother you more, I'm gonna add it to my Twilight Rose Knight instead.” 

Twilight Rose Knight  
ATK/3400, DEF/1000  
Life Stars: 3

Depre gulped. That was one strong-ass faggoty knight. 

James smirked. “I think you know that, no mater which monster I attack, it'll wipe out your remaining Life Points.” He drew in a breath. Then shouted. “Go! Twilight Rose Knight!”

An elegantly delicate cascade of roses swirled around the Rose Knight. The music of castanets and violins once again filled the speakers, and the holographic Knight raised his sword to the sky -well, the ceiling- then swung it down in a dramatic arc, striking a theatric pose. He shifted between two more sensational poses before finally charging at the Cyberman Strawberry. It impaled the cybernetic fruit right between its big, round eyes. The strawberry hologram shattered into a thousand fractal shards and Depre's Life Points were reduced to zero. 

Depre Scott  
Life Points: -200  
-glitch-  
Life Points: 0

All the gathered spectators gasped. 

Yako leapt to his feet, knocking over his folding chair in the process. It clattered to the floor with a loud, metallic, clang. Adding a bit of punctuation to his exclamation of disbelief. “Hacks! I call hacks! Jaime cheated! He had to! He hasn't played this game in years and Depre's a master! Jaime isn't even a real Duelist!”

Gekko also stood and put a restraining hand on his twin's shoulder. They didn't want to appear petty and excitable in front of the CEO of Kaiba Corp. Besides, as much as Yako might not like it, they were all watching the duel. James won fair and square. It was a legal win. Just like his win against Gekko the previous day was a legal win. James might not have played in year, but he still knew how to play, and -like he said- the cards all had descriptions that told a person wha they did right on them. All a Duelist needed was to be able to read to play the game. 

“Calm down.” Gekko soothed. 

Yako grit his teeth and muttered some very rude expletives under his breath, but he didn't shout anything else to the open room. So that sort of counted as 'calming down'. 

Depre, on the other hand, was anything but calm. 

He jumped down from his podium and sprinted to the opposite end of the arena. 

James was just gathering up his cards when Depre grabbed him by the arm, pulling him down from his own podium. Cards were scattered everywhere, clattering to the ground in a chaotic mess. Depre shoved the other man up against the side of the projection field so hard that James' breasts almost hit him in the face they bounced so much. 

“What kind of fucking bullshit is this!?” He demanded. 

James just glared at him. “You lost. Seems pretty straight forward to me.”

“There is nothing straight about this!” Depre roared back. “This-! This wasn't even a duel! This was a circus! You're ruining Duel Monsters, Jay! You- you- you're a fucking cunt!”

He raised his fist, arm pulled back. James knew what was coming. He'd certainly been punched by Depre enough times as children to recognize the posture. He clenched his jaw and forced the muscles in his neck to relax and prepare for the impact. 

Richie was up and out of his seat in moments, but he just didn't seem to get to them in time. 

Depre's fist collided with James' face. The back of his head slammed into the side of the area's holo-projectors with an uncomfortable kunck sound. His make-up smeared. James saw stars behind his eyes and his vision swam. But he did not pass out and his feet stayed under him. Then again, over a decade of being beaten-up by monsters and blown up had raised his tolerance for pain and resistance to damage considerable. 

When James didn't go down from the first punch, Depre raised his fist again. But this time Richie was there to stop him. Wrapping one hand around the other man's wrist, he held back the second blow. “That's enough!”

“Richie!” Depre snarled, voice dripping with betrayal at his own brother stopping him from putting this uppity little faggot in his place. “Who's side are you on!?”

“The side of someone who thinks maybe we shouldn't assault LGBTQ Duelists right in front of visiting executive from a rival company.” Richie informed him curtly, then nodded to Seto Kaiba and his younger brother still seated with the rest of their entourage. For the most part, Kaiba himself actually looked fairly entertained, but the others were absolutely horror-struck. “Its bad PR. Also, it was a fair duel. We were all watching. You're being petty and a sore looser, right now. If Father saw you now he'd be disappointed.”

“You don't get to decide how father would feel!” Depre snapped back. He spun around and aimed a second punched, this time at the brother restraining him. But Richie caught that one too. “Hey! Lemme go!”

“Nope. You're done here. It's time for you to go.” And with that, Richie shifted his position, let got of one of Depre's hands, and hooked his arm around the smaller man's body, and lifted his brother up over his shoulder like an uncooperative sack of potatoes. “You're not fit to be around people until you can calm the hell down.” He moved to leave the area, carrying a still struggling Depre over one shoulder, but paused. He turned back to James, glaring at the other man. “I'll be your next opponent, Jim. I hope you react better when you lose.”

James was still a bit woosey from the blow to the head, but he still managed to growl out, “I won't lose.”

Richie smirked at that. He was a bit older than the others when he was adopted and took longer to connect and bond with the others. It wasn't so much that he and James 'never got along', so much as they weren't really around each other enough to get to know each other before James left. But, from what he'd seen thus far, James had grown into the kind of man who didn't give up. You could knock him down, beat him, or blow him up, but he'd still keep coming back. He was stubborn and determined. Two qualities Richie liked having in both his opponents and his friends. 

“We'll see.” He carried Depre out of the arena. 

That was when James finally slumped down. Sitting on his knees (because he was still wearing a tiny skirt) in the center of a halo of scattered cards. His head was killing him from where it'd hit the wall, but he tried to ignore it as he started picking up his cards. The first one his hand touched was his mother's card. 

Cecelia Pegasus. 

For half a moment he'd forgotten it was still in his deck. He still didn't even know what she did. 

James wondered what would have happened if he'd played her.


End file.
